We Meet Again
by BitterSweetNitemare
Summary: After ten years of living in France, Rukia returns to Japan in hopes of meeting with her childhood friends again before they graduate to have some fun. Unfortunately, simple fun isn't as easy to encounter anymore when one's stuck playing matchmaker! Especially when she begins to unknowingly fall for her target and best friend! IchiRuki AU
1. Chapter 1: We meet again

****IMPORTANT things you might want to know before reading:**

Masaki is NOT dead, Kaien is not either, and Hisana certainly is not. This is a happy story [at times or when I feel generous].

**PAIRINGS:** IchiRuki, Slight-IchiHime, Slight-KaiRuki, RenTat, Slight UlquiHimeIshi. **Don't worry, there isn't going to be too much of the non-IchiRuki pairings [as in IchiHime]. They're solely for drama purposes, but the drama is not going to be a heaping like in Korean dramas. So if you like _minor _drama, you will like this.  
**

**THIS IS A SLICE OF LIFE, so it's not going to have build up until the climax. Also, this story is set up piece- by-piece, like a mystery almost, yet not. So there will be some unanswered questions.**

Well, enough the chit-chatter! Please tell me what you think!

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach sadly. If I did Ichigo and Rukia would be in bed "living it up." If you get what I'm saying... *hint hint, nudge nudge***

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_**Chapter 1: We Meet Again**_

_10 years back…_

"_Ichi, why are you cwying?" asked a young seven year old girl with a look of concern written on her face. She was bent over, watching as a small orange haired boy wept._

_Ichigo brought his tear-stained face up to look at her and let out several hiccups before muttering, "K-k-kon's all wipped up." Ichigo pointed over to the poor stuffed lion laying helplessly torn on the ground. Rukia followed her gaze to where he was pointing, at "Kon," and frowned. _

_She never liked it when he cried; it made her feel sad and helpless. They were friends, and friends helped each other. So she did the only thing she could think of, _"_Ichi, why don't I takes Kon and fix sh'him so hes be brands new! _

_"I'll gives 'im back after I mades 'im better. Will that makes you happy? So you'll stop cwying?" Ichigo sniffled and nodded to Rukia happily with a big grin on his face. "Then it's a pwomise!"_

_Unfortunately though, Rukia had never gotten the chance to finish sewing up Kon before she had to leave for Paris. In the end, she ended up taking Kon with her. _

_Despite that, she swore that someday she would return back to Japan to fulfill her promise to her best friend._

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_**Present day…**_

There was a cacophony of sounds as flocks of people fawned over the new arrivals who happened to exit the loading dock just mere seconds before.

Inevitably, today was going to be one hectic day.

Rukia sighed in relief as she was finally able to escape the large crowd. She inhaled deeply and stretched her arms, enjoying the feeling of being able to move. It had been so long since she had been in Japan, even though it was her home country, which probably would have sounded ironic to others. She was ecstatic to be back. She would get to see all her old friends again, including her "bestest" friend.

"Rukia!" She was snapped out of her thoughts when her sister, Hisana, called out from behind her, "Bya-kun and I have to get going to Tokyo. Our appointment is soon!

"Remember, there's an apartment ready for you if you decide to stay there instead of the clinic. And there's some money for you in your account," said Hisana as she smiled delightfully at her younger sister.

"Are you sure you'll be okay in Karakura alone?" added Byakuya, Hisana's beloved husband and father-like figure to Rukia. His tone of voice hinted with concern, while his facial expression stayed cold and stoic. He looked mean on the outside, but on the inside, he was just another cuddly stuffed teddy bear.

The younger raven-haired girl smiled assuringly at both, "I'll be fine, I've told you guys plenty of times already." She rolled her eyes as she couldn't help but notice that her sister was starting to show her sensitive side.

"I can't help but worry!" whined her sister, running over to her and giving her a large bear hug, one that left Rukia heaving for breath. "You are my wittle shister! How can I _not _worry?" Byakuya sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to relax himself. Hisana was _always _like this whenever Rukia would leave her side -even for a second. A question that bothered Byakuya in more ways than one was how she would act when Rukia left for college, or even to start a family. Not that Byakuya would let her leave to start a family, anyways.

"Hisana, we have to leave-" Her brother-in-law was stopped mid sentence when his wife sucked him into her giant bear hug.

"I don't want to leave Bya-kun!" He sighed at his wife, at points like this, it was time to play the trump card; bribery.

Byakuya cleared his throat and hesitated before saying, "Sana-chan, if we leave I'll get you the new Chappy kitchen set. Including the new five foot tall Chappy plushy you wanted." Hisana stopped her waterworks shortly after hearing his proposal, and sniffled, most likely considering her options.

Rukia chuckled and watched her sister's reaction. Hisana always loved it when Byakuya called her, "Sana-chan." Apparently she thought it was adorable, and oddly enough, she only listened to him when he called her by that pet name –which wasn't often. He on the other hand found it embarrassing, but if it made her listen to him, he would do it.

Rukia classified him as a whipped, whipped man.

Hisana let go of Rukia and grabbed onto Byakuya's hand before running off towards the exit. She turned her head back and waved, "Take care, Rukia! Remember, we'll be in Tokyo if you need us!"

Before she could even blink, her sister and brother-in-law had vanished into the unknowns, leaving her solo in the middle of the airport. She chuckled and then sighed as she looked around. "Well, now I'm finally on my own," she said, taking in the first whiff of freedom. She had to remember to thank Byakuya later for dealing with clingy-overprotective Hisana. She didn't mind her sister's worry for her, but sometimes it could really suffocate a girl -physically _and _mentally. She just didn't like the fact that Hisana got all the nice Chappy merchandise just by whining. Now, that was unfair, but could she really blame Byakuya for being wrapped around her sister's finger? Not really.

Rukia shook off all her unnecessary thoughts, and concentrated on her mission at hand: taking the train to her desired destination; Karakura town.

_**Later on that day…**_

Rukia smiled and inhaled the fresh air of her home town, "Ah, it feels just like home," she said, closing her eyes as the wind blew through the loose strands of her messy French bun.

She stood atop a hill that had a breath-taking view of the town, and admired the beauty and how alive it was. The hill she was currently on was popular among the older couples for romantic evening walks as it had a vintage feeling to it. The place surrounding the hill wasn't that great, but it held a soothing and romantic atmosphere. While there was a great view of the town, a perfect spot to watch the sunset, flower beds and a small stone bench that was only fit for two, it wasn't much fun when one was alone.

She exhaled and looked up at the sky, "Well, isn't this kind of depressing? I am sitting here in this romantic scenery _alone_," she said humorously to herself. "Eh, it's not like I need romance anyways, it's nothing but trouble," she said, checking the time on her phone.

"Damn, I better get going," she muttered, picking up her suit case and bag. She got up off the bench and began walking away, leaving the lonely thoughts lingering behind.

From here, her destination was no more than a ten minute walk after going down a fleet of stairs. It wasn't much trouble at all, but if Byakuya were here, he would have gotten a limo or some other fancy car. He had always preferred any other type of transportation other than having to walk. Others would called it, "Enjoying your wealth" while she preferred to call it, "being lazy." Well, it wasn't that he was lazy. He just thought it was bothersome to take ten whole minutes when it could be lowered down to two.

Personally for her, she liked walking better. She liked looking around and smelling the fresh air rather than the luxury of cushioned seats and air conditioning. Besides, she was back in her hometown again and she wanted to explore!

She still remembered a lot of things about Karakura, like where the shops and restaurant locations were or where her old friend's houses were. However, it's been more than eight years, and she was sure things had changed. Hopefully though, there weren't too many changes or she wouldn't be able to make her way around.

As Rukia walked down the street, she was oblivious to all the looks the passing people gave her. Guys gave her a who's-that-chic kind of look and the girls sent her one of envy. It wasn't everyday that you saw a girl with a very French atmosphere wearing refined clothing walking down an average every day neighborhood, especially in a small town such as Karakura. After all, the town wasn't much of a hotspot.

Rukia observed her surroundings as she walked casually with her suitcase logging behind. The neighborhood hadn't changed extravagantly since she had left, which was to be expected.

As she walked along, something caught her eye from her peripheral vision. "Yoru-chan!" Rukia said, accidentally waking the napping black cat, causing it to almost fall off the wall it was on. She ran up, ecstatic to see the kitten –cat- she used to play with as a child. "You've grown sho big since the last time I saw you!" She picked up the feline and hugged it close to her chest, knowing that the cat was immune to most actions that would kill a normal cat –considering its owners.

"We could say the same for you," said a feminine voice from behind her.

Rukia turned around swiftly, surprised by the familiar voice. Both the owners of 'Yoru-chan,' Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin [Urahara] Yoruichi, stood behind her smirking with their eyes filled with the usual mischief. They were known as Karakura's crazy couple... and she was sure they still held the title, and would most likely hold it forever.

It wasn't that they were literally crazy, they were just not normal. Yoruichi had a thing for pissing people off, stripping randomly, being perverted, loving felines, acting like a cat and going ninja on someone if she felt like it. Despite that, she was considered the normal one of the pair. Her husband on the other hand was a whole new level of strange. He was down-right perverted –even to the male gender-, wore strange green and white clothing, had clogs and a fan that magically appeared randomly, he had an adored hat and he was a stalker sometimes.

Yoruichi smirked widely as she walked up to Rukia, "You look really grown up now. It kinda makes me feel like an old hag," she said, grinning. She padded Rukia on the head and ruffled her hair like she would a puppy.

"So pretty too, I'm sure any guy would die to take you out on a date, Kuchiki-chan. Or maybe take you straight to the bed...," added Kisuke, mumbling the second part and smiling perversely behind his fan. "Once Kuro-" before he could finish, he was abruptly interrupted by Yoruichi.

"Kisuke, I think we should talk about this later. We have _things _to do, right?" she said, eying him with a mischievous glint, which he returned.

"Ah, indeed, we do have _things _to attend to," he said, turning to Rukia. "We're sorry for wasting your time, Kuchiki-chan. Now scurry along."

Rukia lifted one of her midnight brows, but didn't question them about their activities since she didn't want to particularly know. Whatever it was, she was sure it wouldn't have benefited her to know in the least. She smiled politely and bowed to both, "Well, I suppose I'll see you later! Au revoir!" Not wanting to stall them of their activities, she picked up her suitcase and walked off, waving behind her to the couple, "Oh, and have fun, doing _things_!"

"Au revoir? What does that mean? Is this some new way to say bye?" Kisuke mumbled to himself, hiding his confused face behind his fan. Yoruichi shrugged and watched Rukia's shadow fade away.

"I have a feeling things aren't going to go well with her," said Yoruichi, crossing her arms and looking over at her husband. "Now, how about those _things _we need to?"

Why were they looking at her oddly? Maybe she had a pimple or something, but that probably wasn't possible due to the face cleansing treatment she used everyday.

She stopped her train of thought when she saw a flash of bright orange from the corner of her eye, several meters away. She scrunched her eyebrows, trying to make out the whole image of the person as they were pretty far away. She noticed bright orange spiky hair, and that instantly told her who it was. Tall slender body, manly figure, and a head full of spiky bright orange hair.

She knew it was _him_. Who else would have bright _orange _hair like _his_?

"It's Ichigo," she said partially grinning. Her pace fastened as she got closer, after all these years, they would meet again. "Oi, Ichigo!"

From hearing his name, the orange haired teen turned around only to be tackled to the ground in a lung-crushing bear hug.

"Ichigo, you've changed so much! You don't look like a wimp anymore!" Rukia grinned and looked down at her childhood friend, who currently was beneath her.

Ichigo blinked several times, beyond confused. He looked at the tiny figure on top of him, bewildered. Immediately, his dark amber eyes met up with the dark violet irises of the girl who was currently on top of him. Now that he looked at her, he was sure he didn't even know her!

"Wait, who are you? How do you know my name?"

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**A/N: **I hope you guys liked it ^ ^! I was a bit distracted and tired when I wrote this, so please excuse the mistakes.

**Anyways, please tell me what you think [that's not about my bad grammar]! It's highly appreciated!**

Revised: 4 fevrier deux mil onze [February 4th, 2011], 15 juin deux mil onze


	2. Chapter 2: Greetings!

***QUICK NOTE* : **As like for all chapters, Rukia will be just a bit OOC at times. After years in France she's a bit "peppier," but not to the Orihime level though. And Karin and Yuzu are 3 years younger [14 years old] than the main characters [Who are 17].

**_**Everyone looks like they do normally in the manga [post ch. 423], except for Rukia who has slightly long hair, but don't worry, that will change soon._  
**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own or claim Bleach and its contents.**

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_**Previously…**_

_She knew it was __him__. Who else would have bright __orange __hair like __his__?_

_"It's Ichigo," she said partially grinning. Her pace fastened as she got closer, after all these years, they would meet again. "Ichigo!"_

_From hearing his name, the orange-haired teen turned around only to be tackled to the ground in a lung-crushing bear hug._

_"Ichigo, it's really you! You've changed so much!" Rukia grinned and looked down at her childhood friend, who currently was beneath her._

_Ichigo blinked several times, beyond confused. He looked at the tiny figure on top of him, bewildered. Immediately, his dark amber eyes met up with the dark violet irises of the girl who was currently on top of him. Now that he looked at her, he was sure he didn't even know her!_

_"Wait, who are you? How do you know my name?"_

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_**Chapter 2: Greetings!**_

Minutes passed as an awkward silence filled the atmosphere. The two teens just stared at each other in confusion. Ichigo was confused about the whole situation and Rukia about his not remembering her.

After finally taking notice that she was still on top of him, Ichigo quickly sprung up and crawled away, causing Rukia to fall on her ass, making "content mode" dissipate and "Bitch mode" take surface.

Rukia metaphorically gawked at the jerk in front of her, glaring at him. To think, she flew all the way from France just to see him and he didn't even remember her even though she was his best friend? _Oh, hell no_.

"Boke!" Rukia grabbed one of her high heel sandals and threw it in the direction of the non-expectant carrot-top in rage. Unfortunately –for Rukia-, it didn't hit him, but it did get his attention. "I knew you were forgetful, but come on? We were so close too!" she complained, crossing her arms and sticking her bottom lip out while sending him a heated glare. "Why do I even bother?"

Ichigo ignored the fact that she tried to hit him with a semi-pointy object, and concentrated on what she was ranting about. He was sure he didn't know her, but she knew him from the looks of it. She even insulted him using a familiar term! He furrowed his brows and observed her features. She did seem a little familiar.

She was petite, had dark raven hair tied up in a messy bun and her luminous violet eyes shined brightly. He had to admit, she was pretty, but there was one flaw. She was abnormally short. Despite that, she didn't look young at all. She had an air of maturity around her. Matter-of-factly, she looked like she was around his age. Maybe she was a classmate in grade school or something? He was never good at remembering faces and names...

While he was still thinking, Rukia raised one of her eyebrows at his intent staring. "What? And what's with that scowl? It's not the least bit attractive, if you think it makes you look 'hot.'" She stood up and patted invisible dirt off her skirt.

He lifted a brow, "How do you know my name anyways, short stuff?" That earned him nothing put the pain of Rukia's fist connecting with his head.

"It's impolite to direct me with such a derogatory title! That behavior will not do," she said, crossing her arms. She tapped her foot on the ground repeatedly, watching him clutch his bruised skull.

Ichigo gave her the strongest glare he could muster, which didn't even faze her at all. "You're saying I'm the one who's being impolite? You're the one who tackled me out of nowhere like a gorilla and continuously hit me! That's very '_lady-like_.'"

"Of course it is. When your childhood best friend doesn't remember you or your face, you tend to get pissed. It's completely justified. And I don't need to be polite to someone who doesn't even remember me or calls me rude names!" She turned her head to the side to look away from him and muttered some French curses.

"I don't even know you, so how can I remember you?" he said, frustrated. He scratched the back of his head roughly, "Plus, you speak Spanish! You're obviously not from around here!"

Before Rukia could correct him that it was _French_, there was a loud interruption.

"Oi, Ichigo!" called someone from behind her. She turned around to see a bright crimson haired teen running up to them. "Have you seen Maru-chan? He ran away again, that stupid dog."

Ichigo glanced over at the teen, and immediately rolled his eyes, "God, Renji, isn't this the fourth time now? You seriously have have to train that puppy."

"Actually, this is the fifth time. And I've tried to train him! It's impossible, the dog doesn't listen to shit," said Renji, crossing his arms.

"Well, that makes you, Abarai Renji, a horrible owner. And since he's yours, well, technically your cousin's, you can go find him by yo-"

"Renji!" interrupted Rukia, walking up to him.

He looked over at Rukia's direction and widened his eyes. "R-rukia? Is that you? You finally came back!" he sent her a welcoming smile, and moved closer to take a closer look at her. "It's about time!"

She nodded and smiled, "Renji! It's great to see you! And I'm glad that at least _someone_ remembers me!" She ran over gave him a big hug and a light kiss on both cheeks.

He blushed, making his face the color of his hair. As lame as it sounded, Renji had never been kissed by a girl. Besides when he was little, Rukia would give Ichigo and him little kisses. This was a bit different though. She was now a full grown woman now and didn't give out petty childish kisses. The hugs and kisses were probably some sort of French greeting.

At hearing the name, something finally triggered in Ichigo's brain.

"Wait… where have I heard that before? Rukia…," It took him a while for her name to sink into his head before he widened his eyes as realization finally took the hit. He snapped his head toward her, "Wait, you mean as in, Kuchiki Rukia? The obsessed-Chappy-fanatic-Rukia?"

This earned him two things, a kick on the shin for calling her crazy, and a small smirk. She crossed her arms in satisfaction, "Oui, took ya' pretty damn long enough!"

He blinked and blankly stared at her dumbfounded after his "eureka"' moment. "How could I have not noticed this?" he said to quietly to himself. "Well, you're actually kind of pretty now unlike before, and you stopped growing vertically which is strange because you used to be an inch shorter than both me and Renji, so I couldn't recognize you." Part of what he said may have sounded like a compliment, but it was a straight out insult. He probably didn't mean for it to sound as rude, but knowing Ichigo, it probably wasn't worth getting riled about.

Rukia ignored him and shook her head mentally. It was no use listening to him. He was too stupid for his own good. She found it kind of cute though, but surely, he would piss off any girl who had any interest in him by making little hidden snide comments.

Ichigo casually pet her head as though she was some sort of domestic pet. He grinned slightly when her eye started twitching, enjoying her annoyance.

"You know, you really don't deserve a hug or a proper greeting."

He snorted, "Like I would want one anyways." He stretched his arms out and picked up his school bag. "So, what now?"

"We go to the Kurosaki house hold!" She picked up her suit case and threw it at Ichigo, and handed her bag to Renji. "I hope you gentlemen don't mind carrying my luggage," Ichigo opened his mouth but was stopped when she continued, "unless you're too weak to carry it. I could carry it myself if you want," she said with mockery hidden in her tone.

Ichigo scowled deeper as he rolled along her suitcase, which felt like it had cinder blocks and babies in it.

He sighed, smiling slightly when he was sure no one was looking. Even though this was the first time in years that he's seen his childhood friend, it felt as if she was here all along. She was already bossing Renji and him around, and physically and mentally harming them just like in the old days.

How fun.

Half-way down the street, Renji felt something bugging him. He felt like he was forgetting something important. What was it again? Oh! Wait! "Oh damn, I forgot about Maru-chan! Oba-san's gonna kill me if I lose him for good," said Renji, accidentally dropping Rukia's tote bag due to his panic.

"Renji! That's my Chanel bag you just dropped! Il y a parfum et mon portable!" At Rukia's outburst, Renji, surprised, picked up her bag in alarm. She ran over and he handed her the bag so she could check if everything was okay, whatever it was she was checking.

While she looked through her bag, Ichigo and Renji scrunched up their faces at their lack of understanding of what she said. Must she defy comprehension?

Rukia sighed in relief and looked up at both males, blinking at their confusion. She then chuckled, "It's French, my bozo friends. Get used to it."

The said males glared at her, but nodded slowly and said in unison, "Yeah, whatever." It seemed like she would be mixing her languages up more often.

"Well then, let's get moving," she took her suitcase from Ichigo and started to walk ahead.

Both guys groaned and simply followed her.

Noticing that they were suddenly consumed by sudden lethargy, she whistled at them like a trainer. "For 'big strong men' you guys move slower than Hisana on her period on a Sunday morning, and that's not a good thing, I'll let cha' know! Come on, don't let the lethargy get to you!" She frowned at them when they still kept at their "ungodly speed." She crossed her arms, not amused. "In ten years, Renji, you went from Monsieur 'I'm super brave and strong and handsome' to a guy who chases puppies around like an idiot with fake tattoos acting as eyebrows," she said, causing Ichigo to snicker and Renji to scowl.

"They're not fake!" defended the red haired teen.

She ignored him and turned her attention to the orange haired teen with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "And you, Ichigo, went from the cute little shy pip-squeak to a rude delinquent with a nasty scowl," upon that comment, the laughing on Ichigo's side stopped and the laughter ignited on Renji's side.

The orange haired teen rolled his eyes, "Shut it, Kuchiki."

Rukia blinked fake tears at him and sniffled, "Oh, dear, Kurosaki-_kun_!" She wiped a fake tear from her eye and looked up at the sky. "I'm just telling you guys how much you've changed, kindly might I add, and here you are being mean! You guys were so cute back then… what happened?"

He snorted at her acting, "Kindly? My ass! Let's just get to my house. My old man's gonna get cranky if- Wait a minute, why are we going to my house?" asked Ichigo, finally realizing.

She mentally slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, "I've been saying it for awhile now and you finally noticed? Do you act like an ignorant child all the time?" she asked, shaking her head, "I'm staying at your place. Now stop staring and let's go."

_**Kurosaki household… **_

"Rukia-chan!" Kurosaki Yuzu gave Rukia a big hug with unnecessary waterworks. "I was only four the last time I saw you, but I haven't forgotten a single detail!" She smiled brightly and wiped her tears.

_Sensitive as ever… and I thought Yuzu-chan when she was younger was sensitive. If she's like that now, then I'm sure Karin is worse, _Rukia's thoughts were interrupted when the girl whom she thought of spoke up from the stairs.

"What's up with all the noise, Yu? I'm trying to take a nap," Kurosaki Karin scratched her head as she came slouching down the stairs in her shorts and over-sized t-shirt.

Yuzu brightened up at the sight of her twin, "Karin! Look, Rukia-chan's back!"

Karin rubbed her eyes and looked at Rukia. "Ah, Rukia-nee… it's nice to see you again. Uh, could we talk later or something? I'm not in the best of conditions, so you carry on with what you're doing. I just need my nap..." She yawned and lazily drifted away like a ghost.

"Yeah, sure, I'll talk to you later, Karin. Enjoy your nap!"

Rukia got a murmur as an answer, but at least Karin put in an effort to even reply. The twins' personalities had changed a bit, but their physical appearance had changed a lot, obviously. Yuzu was still innocent, and optimistic, while Karin on the other hand wasn't as bright, and was more laid back, and slightly sarcastic. She still had the tom-boy demeanor though, that much hadn't change. Well, from what Rukia had observed so far.

From outside, dog barks could be heard around the neighborhood, alerting Renji of his forgotten duty, "Damn, I forgot again. That sounds like Maru-chan. No other puppy squeaks like that," The loud red haired teen ran out of the house in a rush and ran off down the street.

Everyone looked outside in curiosity and watched the red haired buffoon run down the street like an idiot chasing after his dog. "Maru-chan! Get the hell back here!"

"Shouldn't we follow him?" Rukia looked back at Ichigo only to find him walking away yawning. He stretched out his arms casually as if he had never heard her. When he went to take another step, he was unexpectedly yanked back by the collar of his shirt and dragged out of the door.

"What the fuck, Rukia?" cursed Ichigo, earning himself a painful pinch.

The said girl cleared her throat and continued walking out of the house, "Inappropriate language."

After walking half way down the street, she _finally _let go of his shirt. She crossed her arms and frowned at Ichigo, "You really need to shut that sailor mouth of yours, you dumbass. Now we have to find Ren-"

"Oi!" Speak of the devil.

Ichigo and Rukia snapped their heads toward the direction of Renji's voice, only to find a tiny Shiba Inu puppy running towards them. The puppy, "Maru-chan" ran up to Rukia and started jumping up at her, eventually making her tip over.

"Umph!" She fell on her ass for the second time that day. The puppy began licking frantically at her face causing her giggle, which was very "un-Rukia like," at the ticklish sensation and moved the puppy away from her face. She looked down at the small creature's eyes and quickly fell into its cuteness, "Aww! You're adorable! Just not as cute as Chappy," She cooed, hugging him into her chest. The little puppy wagged its little stubby tail in response.

"Maru-chan!" Renji ran up to Rukia, breathing heavily. He looked down at the puppy with a glare. "You. Are. In. Deep shit. If Oba-san found out you escaped, she'll have my head." The pup jumped out of Rukia's grasp and trotted over to him and looked up innocently, "This means no treats, peanut butter, or ice cream for a long time!"

"Aren't you being a little harsh?" asked Rukia, in the puppy's defense.

"No, no I'm not. This little shit here has gotten me into a load of shit, so it's getting what it deserves."

Ichigo, who was on the side, rolled his eyes and yawned loudly. "Wow, Renji… the big strong guy who said he could take on an army of samurai, is now punishing a defenseless puppy because of his own faults as a sucky owner? 'How disgraceful,' says Byakuya."

Rukia glared at Ichigo for making a "Byakuya reference." They -as in Ichigo and Renji- did it all the time when they were young to mock him. They found it hilarious, and probably still did.

"Shut up! This isn't even my puppy to begin with! It's my cousins' puppy, I just take care of it 'cause they're too young to do shit," retorted Renji.

"And?" led Ichigo, raising a brow, unamused.

Renji shrugged, "I don't know? It's not supposed to be my responsibility, and I shouldn't be the one to train it since it isn't mine."

Without him noticing, Rukia took the small shiba puppy out of Renji's hold and started to play with the small creature.

"Renji, you're being an idiot, which isn't new, but-" The Strawberry sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Why am I even talking to you?

"Because I make sense."

"Yeah, whatever gets you asleep at night."

Rukia coughed and started heading back to the Kurosaki household since this whole ordeal was a major waste of time and she was tired as hell.

After a while since Rukia left, something finally struck Renji, "Where's Maru-chan and Rukia?"

"If you haven't noticed, Rukia took Maru and left awhile ago because you were being a dumbass," Ichigo started walking away with his hands shoved in his pockets casually.

"How was I being a dumbass?"

"I don't know, you just are. And I'm really hungry and I don't have time for this shit. And next time, make sure you don't lose the puppy, I'm not wasting my time again," Ichigo yawned and walked toward his house leaving Renji trailing slowly behind.

_Asshole… the day you lose something, I'm not helping you. Not that I help you with anything regularly, but still, _thought Renji, looking up at the peachy sky and he walked.

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**A/N:** Oh, and I revised this so it's very different if you've already read it before. I had to make things more clarified since people weren't getting the main idea. '-_-

**Please review! Tell me if anyone was OOC!  
**

Revised: 5 fevrier deux mil onze [February 5th, 2011], 28 juin deux mil douze [June 28th, 2012]


	3. Chapter 3: Catching Up

**Disclaimer: **I don't own or claim Bleach for my own selfish purposes. If I were to own Bleach... XXX would be the rating. If ya' know what I mean... *Wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

* * *

_**Previously…**_

After a while since Rukia left, something finally struck Renji, "Where's Maru-chan and Rukia?"

"If you haven't noticed, Rukia took Maru and left awhile ago because you were being a dumbass," Ichigo started walking away with his hands shoved in his pockets casually.

"How was I being a dumbass?"

"I don't know, you just are. And I'm really hungry and I don't have time for this shit. And next time, make sure you don't lose the puppy, I'm not wasting my time again," Ichigo yawned and walked toward his house leaving Renji trailing slowly behind.

_Asshole… the day you lose something, I'm not helping you. Not that I help you with anything regularly, but still, _thought Renji, looking up at the peachy sky and he walked.

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Catching up**_

There was no other way to describe it. It was just loud.

What was loud exactly? Kurosaki Dinner time.

It was quite difficult for a girl to have a peaceful meal with old friends when there were three buffoons fighting each other over a piece of chicken and causing trouble.

Rukia sighed and tried to enjoy the nice homemade food by blocking out all the sounds and all of the clinics inhabitants. However, this plan didn't work out so well when a pair of chop sticks struck her in the face. Biting her lip, she made sure she didn't explode while in the company of Masaki and Yuzu.

It was hard as hell.

She was taught to always keep her cool and act un-bothered since she was young. She learned how to do this very well, but her true nature shined brightly when around her close friends. Just by looking at their scowling and -hidden- smug faces, she could already feel a vein popping up on her forehead. She always hated male pride and their egos.

Now that she thought about it, back in France, she always wondered if Ichigo and Renji changed at all. She preferred guy friends who were polite and were gentle men. Instead, she was stuck with two scowling delinquent looking guys. Great. Just Great.

"Rukia-chan, are you okay? Sorry about all the noise, but dinner is always like this. You'll get used to it over time." The raven-haired girl blinked and smiled politely as Masaki refilled her bowl with rice.

"Oh, Masaki-san, I don't need any more rice. I'm pretty full already!" She waved her hands in the air to stop Masaki from filling her bowl.

The older woman however, smiled and continued to scoop rice into her bowl. "Nonsense, you've been up and about all day, I'm sure you're very hungry. No need to hide it, a growing girl like you needs food!" Masaki then placed Rukia's bowl in front of the said girl. "Now eat up!"

"Uh, thank you." Rukia shyly picked up her bowl of rice and began eating. Sure, she ate like a pig back in France, but it's not like she was going to eat all of the food in the Kurosaki clinic so she had to hold back. Luckily Masaki was a very understanding person. She was like a mother figure to her, she was demanding but kind and gentle. She also knew how to discipline overgrown little boys.

The raven-head chuckled as she watched Masaki scold Ichigo and Renji. It was entertaining. She remembered when they were little and Ichigo and Renji would get scolded for doing something stupid and they would cower like puppies when Masaki announced they had ten minutes of time out. Rukia enjoyed their pain, as sadistic as it was.

"Dumbfuck," grumbled Ichigo as he pulled out his chair and sat back at the table. He didn't even start this! Renji and his dad started the whole thing, and somehow they had dragged him into the fight. Honestly, he could care less about the damn piece of chicken.

"Asswipe," Renji made his way back to the table and almost tripped because of a certain someone's foot.

The two boys scowled as they were given their share of rice from Yuzu, who shook her head and rolled her eyes. They would utter a curse or two to each other every so often and start glaring matches; it was childish but amusing to Rukia. And to think, they were seventeen! She sighed quietly, and nibbled on her rice. At least with the silence, she could eat in peace for awhile.

"Wait, where's Isshin-san?" She said, finally noticing the absence of the older man. She looked around and found him nowhere in sight.

"Oh, I think Renji and I kicked him through the window. He'll be back soon, so hurry up and eat before he comes," answered Ichigo, with his mouth full.

Was it her, or did that sound strange that he said it so casually?

"Why did you kick him out the window? He might be injured or something." Rukia kind of felt stupid for asking so many questions and acting clueless, but she couldn't help it. She'd been missing out on the events in Karakura town for way too long.

"Don't worry about him. Goat face isn't defeated that easily, he's immune to almost everything. Plus, this is a daily routine," said Karin, walking down the stairs in a tight t-shirt and skirt with her hair pulled up. She probably cleaned up before coming to dinner from her nap.

Rukia grinned. It seemed that Karin had changed into a very likeable teen. Just by observing, she could tell that Karin wasn't one to take shit from anyone and was rather straight forward compared to Yuzu's shy nature, which is something that Rukia liked. "Karin-chan, glad to see your nap was a success, despite all the noise..."

The other girl crinkled her nose, "Just call me, Karin. And yeah, it was a really nice nap. Probably the best one in a while considering school and football [soccer]. And I'm also immune to the noise," The dark-haired teen grinned and sat down at the table.

"Le Football! I used to play that a lot back in France with the other girls, except they weren't much of a challenge though, so I stopped."

Karin's eyes immediately brightened, "Really? That's awesome. You should show me your skills sometime."

"Oui!" Rukia grinned and placed some rice into her mouth.

"Itadakimasu!" Karin picked up her chopsticks and then started to eat.

For the next few minutes, everyone ate in silence. The only sounds that could be heard were the munching sounds of everyone eating -and Ichigo and Renji grumbling.

"So... Rukia-chan, will you be entering our high school?" peeped up, Yuzu. She smiled and popped a pickled radish into her mouth.

"Actually, I was already accepted. So I'll be joining you guys starting tomorrow."

At hearing that, Ichigo and Renji halted their eating and let their mouths hang open to share their beautiful chewed up food. "WHAT?" Grains of rice shot out of their mouths causing the females of the table to grimace and back away from the table. By the looks of it, these two could have been labeled brothers. They were perfect matches, weird hair, scowls and all that other jazz.

"Close your mouths when you're eating," Masaki's kind face, if possible, morphed into one of disapproval, and she crossed her arms, watching as they slowly obliged. "And yes, she is entering your school. So please, I want the both of you to show her around and introduce her to some nice people. That would make me a very happy Chappy!"

Rukia's ears perked up, "Chappy? You like Chappy the rabbit too?" She leaned across the table.

"Oh, no. Yuzu is the one who likes Chappy. I just think Chappy's cute."

She turned from Masaki to Yuzu who grinned widely. Returning the grin, she gave Yuzu a thumbs-up gesture and sat back down.

After that little connection, Masaki turned back to Ichigo and Renji. "So please do that, or I'll make you guys clean Isshin's office."

Ichigo widened his eyes in horror and nodded. "Uh, hai, 'Ka-san..."

Renji on the other hand had the same facial expression he had before. The only thing different was that he was sweating puddles and shaking frantically. "Hai, 'Saki-oba-san..."

Rukia put a finger up to her chin and thought. What was so bad about cleaning Isshin's office anyways that made the dimwits sweat bombs?

Pushing the thoughts aside, she started to think, "Actually, I remember some kids I used to play with before I left. I think the names were, Arisawa Tatsuki and Inoue Orihime, if I recall correctly." She brought up.

Ichigo cleared his throat, "They're in our class," said both Ichigo and Renji in unison.

"Oh! Which class are you guys in? I got papers saying I was a third year in class two-three [2-3]." Ichigo frowned and metaphorically banged his head on the table, while Renji bit his tongue.

Masaki clasped her hands together like a school girl, "Ochi-sensei, right?" The Chappy lover nodded. "That means you are in Ichigo and Renji-kun's class! That means you all can have fun together! How cute!

"I need to make dessert to celebrate!"

Just as the light orange-haired woman ran to the kitchen, there was the sound of someone breaking in through a window somewhere upstairs. At first Rukia was alert thinking it was a burglar, but from the looks of everyone's calm faces, she guessed it was just Isshin.

Speaking of the man, he stumbled down the stairs, making a bunch of unnecessary noise as he approached.

He sprung up and jumped at Rukia. "Oh, my wonderful third daughter! You are too cute! I must pull you into my bosom and squish you!" Before he could touch her however, Karin's foot met with his face. "Hands off, you old perv! You just don't go around huggin' people like that whenever you want, especially a teenage girl. It's just wrong!"

Isshin fell to the ground and started rolling around like a child. "Masaki! Karin's being mean to daddy again!"

From the kitchen, Masaki sighed loudly. "Karin, stop being mean to your father."

"He started it!" Karin frowned and went back to sit at the table, post kicking Isshin in the stomach.

Yuzu giggled and stood up, "Otou-san, you should get up and eat. Everyone is about done now and your food is getting cold," she started to collect all the empty dishes and chopsticks.

"Oh, let me help," offered Rukia, getting out of her chair.

_**Later on…**_

It had been awhile since Rukia had last eaten mochi. The chewy substance stuck to her teeth as she attempted to bite it. Finally swallowing it, she took a deep breath at all the hard work. It wasn't really "work," but rather just her jaw being tired from all the chewing.

Masaki giggled at Rukia, "My mochi is always extra chewy, so be careful not to choke." The said girl smiled politely and nodded while biting a tiny piece of mochi.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and stuffed a whole piece in his mouth. "It's not that hard, you make it seem like it's a work out." His mouth was full and the only thing that came out of his mouth was something that sounded similar to, "Ish nosh harsh, yoush maksh ish sheemsh shiksh itsh ash worksh shouts." Some chewed up pieces of mochi flung out of his mouth, causing Rukia to laugh.

"What did I say about closing your mouth when you eat? No talking with your mouth full either," scolded Masaki, her mouth tilted downwards a bit and she crossed her arms over her chest.

Rukia giggled a little and swallowed the last of her dessert, "Ah, I'm filled up. It's been so long since I've had real mochi!" She stretched her arms out and yawned quietly.

Yuzu grinned and brought up a question. "What kind of desserts do you eat in France?"

The raven haired teen put a finger to her chin and thought. "Well, we don't usually eat dessert in my house since Byakuya doesn't allow too many sweets. We do eat cake, tarts and cookies on occasion. Normally, though, it's fruit that we eat." She shrugged and sipped some of her tea.

"Really? I thought French people ate more than that for dessert."

"Well, it depends on the family. It just so happens that my family is paranoid about sugar levels or whatever. If we do have dessert, it's usually fruit like I said. Either way, it doesn't really concern me as I don't really care for sweets," said Rukia, excusing herself from the table to bring her dishes to the sink.

"Well, what about breakfast? I was just wondering if you wanted some French cuisine for breakfast," asked Yuzu as Rukia walked out of the kitchen.

She widened her eyes and blinked, "I don't care what's for breakfast really. I could eat anything. I doubt there would be the bread that I eat in France here in Japan. So regular bread and jam is fine. Coffee is fine too."

Masaki and Yuzu smiled and nodded, "Of course! We'll make sure you're as comfortable here as you were in France."

"Merci! I really appreciate it," Rukia bowed down politely. "Anyways, I think it's about time I got ready for bed. Please excuse me. Oh, and one day, I'll make sure I make you all some crepes!" She grinned brightly and made her way down the hall, up the stairs.

"What's a 'crepe?'" Renji blinked and stuffed some mochi in his mouth.

"I don't know? French crap? Some sort of food?" answered Ichigo.

"You don't say?"

Yuzu frowned, "It's not crap. It's a very tasty pancake like food in France. You can it eat for breakfast or as a dessert. It's such a nice food!" She got up from the table and started to clean up the empty dishes.

Both Ichigo and Renji kept their uninterested faces, and shrugged at each other.

* * *

_**Preview…**_

_"Wait, let me get this straight. You like Ichigo?" Orihime nodded and dreamily stared up at the roof top where the said orange haired teen sat with his friends. Rukia smirked and put a finger to her chin, completely forgetting about her stomach pains. "Why don't you ask him out?" She had a plan, and she was going to make sure it worked. Hopefully._

_The auburn haired girl widened her eyes in surprise and blushed, "O-o-oh! I… I'm too nervous. I don't know if he'll accept my feelings! I'm too scared to find out."_

_"Well, I'll help you then. And I'll make sure he accepts! Why wouldn't he give you a chance? You're pretty, you're nice and you have a good personality. Plus, you might be the only girl willing to go out with him…," said Rukia, determined. "We shall call this plan, 'le plan pour obtenir Orihime et Ichigo ensemble!'"_

_Orihime jumped back in surprise but then smiled happily, "Uh, yeah! Thank you, Rukia-chan!"_

_"No problem! And you have library duty after school right?" Orihime nodded while Rukia smiled evilly, "Okay! Now just leave the rest to me, Orihime."_

* * *

**A/N: **FINALLY! I'm finished with this chapter. I thought I would never get it done. So… I've been on DA lately and haven't really been paying attention to fanfiction. So, sorry! Actually, I think other people have been doing that too.

Yes, yes, many unwanted errors in the text, just ignore them unless you're a neat freak [like me].

**Reviews are appreciated! They make me feel lurved! ;3**

Revised: 28 juin deux mil douze [June 28th, 2012]


	4. Chapter 4: Bonjour!

**Disclaimer: You already know…**

* * *

_**Previously…**_

_Masaki and Yuzu smiled and nodded, "Of course! We'll make sure you're as comfortable here as you were in France."_

_"Merci! I really appreciate it," Rukia bowed down politely. "Anyways, I think it's about time I got ready for bed. Please excuse me. Oh, and one day, I'll make sure I make you all some crepes!" She grinned brightly and made her way down the hall, up the stairs._

_"What's a 'crepe?'" Renji blinked and stuffed some mochi in his mouth._

_"I don't know? French crap? Some sort of food?" answered Ichigo._

_"You don't say?"_

_Yuzu frowned, "It's not crap. It's a very tasty pancake like food in France. You can it eat for breakfast or as a dessert. It's such a nice food!" She got up from the table and started to clean up the empty dishes._

_Both Ichigo and Renji kept their uninterested faces, and shrugged at each other._

* * *

**_Chapter 4: Bonjour!_  
**

"Ja ne! Onii-chan! Rukia-chan!" Yuzu waved to both said teens as she and Karin walked the opposite direction as they wanted to walk with their friends. Karin simply murmured a "bye" and walked along.

Ichigo waved his hand in the air and continued walking, while Rukia smiled and said something in French before following him.

The morning had gone by fast; except for the part where Ichigo had to get Rukia to wake up… that scene was better left forgotten. Other than that, everything passed by rather quickly, and now they were just walking to school.

They had been walking along side Ichigo's sisters until it was time split up since the twins wanted to meet up with their friends.

So that only left the two teens –unless Renji happened to pop out from somewhere.

"Well, I guess that gives us some time to actually talk." Rukia yawned silently to herself and rubbed her eyes. "Oh, and thanks for offering me your room, not that you did it willingly, but I was just too polite to accept it. So, you're lucky I'm a kind soul." There was a hint sarcasm and mock coming from her remark, causing Ichigo to roll his eyes.

Ichigo made a "che" sound and grumbled. "Whatever."

_Flashback…_

_As Rukia made her way out of the bathroom, she sighed and walked toward the end of the where her room was._

_Before she could blink, Isshin magically appeared right beside her with a frighteningly happy looking grin plastered on his face. She jumped a little, but relaxed when she noticed it was just Ichigo's crazy father. "Uh… Isshin-san, I didn't see you there."_

"_Rukia-chaaan, call me Otou-san!" he said, whining. "__Here, I'll show you where you'll be staying tonight!" he said enthusiastically, slipping in front of her._

_Isshin grinned wider, rather mischievously, and led her to Ichigo's room. "Rukia-chan, you'll be in Ichigo's room while he takes the guest room. The guest room is way too small and unfriendly," he said, gesturing her into the room._

"_Oi! You never asked me for permission! Don't go around deciding shit, old man!" said Ichigo, marching up behind them from the stairs while glaring at his father._

_"I don't need your permission. You live under my house, and I pay the house bills. So I can do whatever I want. You may be mad now, but you'll understand one day _if_ you have children. Now pack up and get out, you disappointment! Unless you want to share the room with Rukia-chan," replied Isshin, somewhat suggestively, wiggling his caterpillar eyebrows. _

_Ichigo flushed, "Shut up! And what do you mean _if _I have kids_? _Not that I want kids, but still- why am I even talking to you? Get out!_"

_Isshin ignored him and jumped up and kicked the orange-haired teen into the bedroom. "Get to the packing ma' boy! Enough chit chat!"_

"_Uh, Isshin-san, I can take the guest room. I don't have many things anyways." Rukia lifted up her suit case and bag._

"_Ha! Nonsense, a guest must always be treated like royalty. Plus, I think there are ghosts in there," he said, pointing into the guest room. He tried to make it sound "spooky," but no one was fooled._

_Rukia rolled her eyes in her mind. She couldn't remember the last time someone tried to convince her to do something by using little tricks; unless it was Hisana. "Don't worry I'm not scared of ghosts," she said walking down to the end of the hall, opening the door to the so-called haunted room._ "_It's fine really, Isshin-san. And I think royalty is a bit too much." She looked back and gave him an assuring smile._

_The older man sighed, "I guess if that's what you want, and for you my dear, you are royalty! Oh, and if you ever hear anything strange in there, don't be shy to sleep with Ichigo in his room! I'm sure my straight son won't mind," said Isshin, putting extra emphasis on "straight." He winked at Ichigo, laughing evilly when his son sent him a death glare. _

_Before she knew it, Isshin flew past her line of vision when he was kicked down the hall by Ichigo and had almost fallen down the stairs. _

"_Shut the fuck up! I hope you fall down the stairs you old goat!"_

_Rukia lifted a single brow and chuckled before closing the bedroom door behind her. This was too amusing._

_End of flashback…_

Rukia snorted at the memory. Isshin was still as awkward as ever. It was funny to watch him and Ichigo fight and bicker, even though it was weird. Well, nothing in the Kurosaki household was normal. Now, that was for sure.

"So, does Renji always come over?" she asked, trying to break the silence.

Ichigo lifted his brow and turned toward her, tilting his head downwards to actually be able to look at her. "Yeah, he says he has nothing better to do than to bug me. It's like he practically lives at my house."

"I see nothing's changed in that area." She smiled at the thought. When they were little, Renji always came over to Ichigo's house to play and just hang around. "How's his aunt these days?" Renji's parents died when he was a baby, so he was raised by his aunt and uncle. But his uncle was always on business so it was just his aunt most of the time. She was pretty young, she could have been mistaken as his sister, she remembered.

"Eh, I guess she's doing fine. She still looks young, but she's getting pretty old though. She's like… thirty-four now? Oh, and she has twins now, a boy and a girl. They're five years old; fraternal twins. The boy's name is Takumi, and the girl's name is Haruko."

She nodded her head, "I'll make sure to say hi sometime. I want to see her twins. They must be cute!"

Ichigo shrugged and looked up at the sky, "Takumi is a bit bratty, and Haruko is really shy and innocent; complete opposites, kind of like Karin and Yuzu. Renji forced me to babysit with him once when they were three, and it was a nightmare. The little guy didn't like my hair, nor did he like Renji's hair, and started pulling on both of our hair at the same time. He was pretty strong for a toddler. Then when it was supposed to be nap time for _them_, but me and Renji ended up falling asleep and I woke up with black permanent marker all over my forehead. Takumi claimed that he wanted to put 'tattoos' on my forehead like Renji's. Then for Renji, he cut Renji's hair short, only up to his shoulders 'cause Renji woke up before he finished. The brat said he wanted to make his hair spiky like mine. So we were stuck like that for awhile. The permanent marker was hard to get off, and Renji's hair took awhile to grow back."

Rukia held in a laugh as she listened. It was nice to hear the misadventures of Ichigo and Renji young teen days. "How could I have missed out on this amazing life changing moment?" she said, bursting out laughing.

Ichigo glared at her, "Shut up! It's not funny. What if he took your Chappy stuffed animal and cut it up into little pieces?"

Now the laughing on Rukia's side stopped as she froze in place, her facial expression slowly changing very grave. "Don't you _dare _even say that!"

"Well, that's too bad. I already did," he said, amused.

She hissed at him, and crossed her arms, "Hmph, I'll get you back later, Kurosaki."

She turned her head and looked away as he shrugged and rolled his eyes.

Both teens walked silently together for the next few minutes until they heard some from footsteps behind them.

It was a group of girls, three to be precise, who were presumably from Karakura high school -considering their uniforms. They whispered as they passed by, and Rukia could only catch a little of what they were saying. It was something on the lines of, "Is that Kurosaki? What is that girl doing with him? Isn't she scared to be near him? She's not pretty enough to be walking with him."

Rukia smirked at the first few questions as it seemed that it wasn't just her who thought he looked like a delinquent. However, the last thing the girls said made her growl, causing them to look away. So he also had admirers too? That was something she didn't expect. Although, she did have to admit, he was pretty hot, not that she would tell him. He was almost six feet, and had some pretty decent muscles, but that was besides the point.

* * *

Now at the school's main gate, Rukia started getting butterflies. She had never actually gone to a public school before except for her early years before she moved to France. She had been put into private schools ever since she was seven and was put into one boarding school, but never a public school [but that didn't mean she didn't know how public school works]. Byakuya insisted that she went to an all girls boarding school while in Japan, but she had gone against it saying she wanted a normal Japanese lifestyle.

There were many things in Japan that were different from the schools in France. That's why it was Ichigo and Renji's job to show her around and teach her things. She basically shared all her classes with both of them, except for the advanced classes and electives. She had three of them in total, math, art, and English.

"Oi, Rukia!" Rukia was snapped out of her thoughts when Ichigo called for her. "You have to change your shoes first." He lifted a pair of slipper like shoes to show her, and she tilted her head a bit.

"_Uwabaki_?" She lifted a finger in the air after realizing what she had forgotten. She lifted her own pair from her bag and quickly kicked off the shoes she had on. She attempted to put on the _uwabaki_, but it was a bit irritating. Either the part where her heel was rolled down along with her foot causing irritation, or her toes were against the front of the shoe. She growled and fussed around with the slipper, trying to put it on correctly, only to fail badly. She heard a sigh before Ichigo pushed her down on the bench and took her slipper.

"Here, I'll do it." Ichigo knelt down and held onto Rukia's ankle, gently slipping her foot into the shoe with ease. "There, easy as cake. I don't see how you struggled," he said, smirking at her blush in embarrassment.

"Shut up!" She hit him with her bag playfully and stood up, stomping away before tripping on her feet.

Ichigo's immediate reaction was to grab her arm, but someone beat him to it. "Heh, it seems you finally picked a girl from your fan club and brought her to school. Now that's a start. You even put on her shoes for her. How cute?"

Rukia's face had met with a hard muscular chest as she started to fall. She wasn't able to see who her "savior" was. But once the guy started talking, she lifted up her head only to find a teen with bright blue wild hair and an arrogant smirk plastered on his face.

"Yeah, whatever. Go back to your cat-nip, Grimmjow," said Ichigo, frowning. The guy called Grimmjow just kept smirking.

"Well, I have to give you credit. She's a cute one, where'd you find her? I don't think I've ever seen her around here," he said, looking down at her and winking.

Rukia blinked and jumped out of his grasp. She cleared her throat and just smiled politely at him, "Uh, thank you for catching me. My name is Kuchiki Rukia and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Grimmjow smirked even wider if it were possible. "She's polite too." He stretched out his hand, "The name's Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez [Jeagerjaques], and the pleasure is all mine, m'lady."

She gave him her hand reluctantly, and he gladly took it, gently landing a kiss on top of her tiny pale hand. As he was about to say something flirtatious, Ichigo interrupted their moment. "Just leave her alone, Grimmjow. She's new here. You can flirt with her some other time 'cause we have to get to class."

"_Oh?_ Some other time you say? Heh, I think I'll take you on that offer," Grimmjow chuckled and winked at Rukia one last time, "I'll see you later, babe. Maybe next time we can talk a little longer without having him ruining the mood," he said gesturing to Ichigo before walking off.

Rukia flushed at the thought, she couldn't be thinking about things such as guys right now! She just got here, and she had to adjust before hanging out with guys and getting distracted! So to stop herself from side-tracked thoughts, she started fiddling with the Chappy key chain hanging on her bag.

Ichigo scowled and scratched his head, frustrated. "Rukia, you've got to watch who you talk to. Karakura's full of douchebags and assholes, so don't get yourself tangled with them. Even though Grimmjow is okay, he can still be a douche…," he sighed and looked at her. "I guess we better get going to class," he said, waiting for her response, but when he didn't get one, he grabbed her wrist and started to drag her along with him, not forcefully though.

"Oi! What are you-" she grabbed his hand and tried to pry it off her wrist.

"Well, you were distracted and I want to get to class before the bell rings."

She half-frowned and half-pouted, but soon all those thoughts were left behind when she noticed all the stares and whispers directed at her and Ichigo as they walked down the crowded hall. Guys were giving jealous glares, girls were gossiping and whispering, perverts were doing what they did best, and a single raven haired geek with a sewing kit lifted his spectacles. The reflection of the light shined in the lens of his glasses as she passed him, making her cover her eyes with her hand.

The weird geek guy raised his eye brows and walked up to Ichigo. "Oi, Kurosaki. Did you bring in the research papers?"

Ichigo stopped in front of the door to class 2-3 and nodded before sliding it open. He walked in with Rukia and the geek guy following behind.

In the corner, Rukia saw Renji talking to a girl with dark spiky layered hair. She looked familiar, and then something clicked in Rukia's mind. _I wonder… _she thought. She felt Ichigo's grip loosen and she broke out of his grasp. She walked towards Renji and waved at him, and he smiled back. "Hey, it seems you really are in our class," he said, sighing and scratching the back of his head.

"Is that a bad thing?" She frowned playfully and then turned to the girl he was talking to who was staring at her curiously. Rukia turned her and asked, "Not to be rude, but may I ask you a question?"

The girl shrugged, "Sure."

Rukia smiled, "Might you be Arisawa Tatsuki?"

The girl blinked in surprise, "Yeah, why? Did Ichigo or Renji say something bad about me?" She quickly glared at Renji.

Renji shook his head quickly, causing Rukia to laugh. "No, it may sound weird, but I used to live here in Karakura before I moved to France. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm that short bunny loving girl who used to beat up Ichigo and Renji with you and Orihime-chan," she said casually.

Immediately Tatsuki's face brightened up, "Oh, I remember you! I can't believe I didn't notice, er... sorry, um what's your name again?"

"Kuchiki Rukia. Just call me Rukia. It's a pleasure to meet you again, Arisawa-san."

Tatsuki grinned and held out her hand. "The pleasure is all mine, and it's Tatsuki. Just Tatsuki, I hate formalities." Rukia gladly took it and smiled.

"How touching...," Renji snorted and pretended to look out the window. Both girls looked at him, but decided to just ignore him since he was a waste of time."So, is Orihime-chan in this class too?"

Tatsuki nodded and leaned against her desk, "Yeah, she's just late today. And if you remember how she adores food, then the answer to why she's late would be her lunch," she said, leaning back onto her desk.

Rukia blinked, "Her lunch?"

"Yup, she spends extra time on her lunch. And just so you know, if she offers you food, don't take it." Rukia nodded with a brow raised high. When she was about to ask why, someone interrupted her.

"Tatsuki-chan!" squealed a busty auburn haired girl as she ran up to Tatsuki with a big smile. "Look, I thought of two new recipes! I hope you can come over tonight and try them!" she said, handing the other girl an open notebook.

Tatsuki glanced at Rukia and shrugged, "I don't know, Hime. I have practice tonight." She smiled apologetically and put her hand on the bubbly girl's shoulder.

Orihime smiled, "That's okay! I'll bring in some for lunch tomorrow so you can try it! It really is yummy! Just think, octopus buns with stuffed horse-radish and bitter melon with a yummy sweetened condensed milk sauce. Doesn't that sound amazing? My mouth's watering just thinking about it!" She practically drooled as she swung back and forth.

Rukia sweat-dropped and smiled on the side politely. Orihime, finally noticing her, turned around and grinned, "Oh, hello, sorry I didn't see you there. Well, you must be new. I'm Inoue Orihime!" she exclaimed, smiling. She leaned closer to look at Rukia's face more clearly. She then blinked and started to stare at Rukia quizzically.

"Hmm... Have we met before?" Orihime put a finger to her chin.

The raven haired girl had to think for a minute before replying, "Uh, yeah. I'm Kuchiki Rukia, we used to be friends when we were young."

It took several seconds before the other girl responded, "Oh! Kuchiki-san! I remember that name! If I'm right, you love rabbits and have a sister named Hisana-san and a brother-in-law named... Byakushi was it?" she said, again placing her finger on her chin and looking up. She scrunched her eyebrows together trying to remember.

Rukia tried hard to hold in a laugh, "Byakushi" used to be a nickname they would call him to piss him off. "It's Byakuya. Byakushi was a nickname that you, me and Tatsuki made up. And please call me, Rukia."

Tatsuki chuckled loudly next to Orihime while the girl herself giggled. "Ah, that was it." She smiled and then looked around. "Ochi-sensei isn't here yet. She's pretty late today. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, I saw her walking around in the halls, but she hasn't shown up to class yet," said the weird geek dude from before, walking over with Ichigo and some other guys trailing behind. He sent a nod towards Orihime, Tatsuki and Renji before turning his attention to Rukia. "It doesn't seem like we've met before, and I never got to introduce myself. I'm Ishida Uryu, nice to meet you." He held out his hand to her, which she gladly took.

"It's nice to meet you Ishida-kun. I'm Kuchiki Rukia." She took his hand and shook it lightly.

"It's odd that you're here in the classroom before Ochi-sensei even arrives, I suppose it's a good to get a head start at meeting new people," said Uryu, to which Rukia nodded, letting go of his hand and taking notice of the people behind him. There was a large guy behind him with tan skin and a very fit body, and two other scrawny guys. One had light brownish hair and the other had dark hair and he seemed more interested in his phone than anything.

The light brownish haired guy's eyes glistened when he saw Rukia, and instantly jumped over. "Why hello there, I don't think we have met yet," he said, picking up her hand and gently lifting it up to his lips. "I don't see how I, Asano Keigo, could have missed such a beautiful celestial maiden from heaven. Please forgive me my gorgeous goddess...," He kissed the top of her hand and looked up mischievously at her.

She "giggled" and blushed, "Oh, you flatter me so, Asano-kun." She giggled some more and batted her eyelashes at Keigo.

Ichigo and Renji on the side rolled their eyes and gagged at Rukia's act. At this point, it seems like Keigo will become her official stalker.

"How about after school, we can go to the club and have some fun-" Before Keigo could finish, Tatsuki's foot met with his face causing him to fall over with a nose bleed. She glared at him on the floor, "Don't even think about it, or touch her." Telling from Keigo's face, he wasn't just seeing Tatsuki, but her flames and demons as well.

"The she-devil speaks!" he cried, cowering back and crawling away.

"Nice," said Renji, sitting up from the window sill and crossing his arms in satisfaction.

"Okay, everybody get in your seats!" All the students turned toward the front of the classroom to see Ochi-sensei enter the room with her usual book. She scanned the room until her eyes set on Rukia, "Kuchiki-san please come to the front."

Rukia quickly obliged and walked up to the front of the room while everyone else settled down at their desks.

The teacher cleared her throat, "I think all of you have probably already noticed, but we a new student." Ochi-sensei gestured to Rukia who smiled politely.

"Bonjour! Je m'appelle Rukia! S'il vous plait prendre soin de moi!" Sometimes she spoke in French by accident, but other times she spoke in French for the fun of it just to mess with people's minds. And in this case, she was doing it for the fun of it. Everyone looked at her, confused. It was amusingly evil.

Ochi-sensei laughed and scratched her head, "Uh, Kuchiki-san is from France. She said, 'Hello, My name is Rukia. Please take care of me!'"

It took a minute before everyone started cheering and greeting her.

"Okay, why don't you sit next to Kurosaki since you two seem to know each other?" That's when all the girls in the room glared at Rukia, and all the guys at Ichigo. The raven haired teen lifted her brow and quickly took her seat. She noticed Ichigo was rolling his eyes, and she stuck her tongue out at him playfully. He frowned and turned to the front of the room where Ochi-sensei was standing and ignored her. She chuckled before doing the same thing.

What they didn't notice was the auburn haired girl watching them intently from behind.

_**Later during lunch...**_

"Rukia!" called Tatsuki, grinning. Orihime waved and smiled brightly while holding a wrapped bento in her other hand. "Join us for lunch!"

The raven haired teen smiled at them and nodded. They waited for her to reach them before exiting the class room, "There are some girls we want to introduce you to. They're really nice, but kind of strange. Just be careful, one likes to coddle you in her giant-"

"Rukia-chan!" Suddenly Rukia was engulfed into a giant bear hug. "I haven't seen you in such a long time! How are you?"

"You and Rangiku-san already know each other?" asked Orihime, blinking.

Rukia attempted to nod, but failed. Rangiku nodded her head and squeezed the other girl harder, "Yeah, during my trip to France, my uncle had a business meeting to go to and he said his business partner would let me hang out at his estate while he was gone. And that's where I met Rukia."

Orihime then clasped her hands together happily, "That's great! Now we all know each other! Oh, wait, where's Hinamori-san?"

"She said she had some business to attend to, whatever that happens to be." After noticing Rukia's lack of movement, Rangiku let go of her and shook her. "Rukia-chan, you okay there?" to which the other girl nodded and slowly took a deep breath of need air.

"Please do _not _do that again, I thought I was going to die," said Rukia, heaving for breath.

Rangiku laughed, "Sorry, hon'! I just can't help it," they all shared a light hearted laugh and headed outside to eat under a shady tree.

"Fresh air!" exclaimed Rukia as she walked outside. She followed the other girls to "their tree" as they put it. She sat down and leaned by on the trunk of the tree while Tatsuki, Orihime and Rangiku followed suit. "I can only take bad B.O. for so long," she said laughing.

The other girls nodded and started to take out their lunches. Rukia had a simple bento that was filled with half Japanese and half French food. It was kind of weird, but she preferred her lunches that way, even back in France. "What's that, Rukia-chan?" asked Orihime whose eyes were glued to the small sandwich Rukia had just pulled out.

"It's some French bread and pate. It's a spread made of minced meat and sometimes liver, it's tasty. Want to try some?" She ripped a piece off and handed it to Orihime, who took it happily.

"It's looks yummy!" The auburn haired girl bit into the bread and immediately her eyes widened, "It's delicious! It would taste great fish sauce and red bean paste."

Tatsuki and Rangiku looked about ready to gag while Rukia pretended to be interested. "Do you guys want to try some? It tastes great," said Rukia, she broke off two more pieces and handed one to Tatsuki and the other to Rangiku. They hesitated for a moment, but tried it anyways.

They chewed slowly, and soon their faces warped to a look of surprise. "This actually tastes decent! Usually whatever Orihime likes is deadly to us," said Tatsuki with surprise.

Orihime pouted, "My sense of taste isn't that bad!" She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away like a child. "You guys just don't know how to enjoy food." She picked up her bento and stuffed a mysterious looking unidentified object into her mouth and chewed. "I'm sure Rukia-chan would like my food, right?" She offered her bento over to Rukia to try. She looked at the raven haired girl with hope in her eyes and Rukia couldn't help but oblige.

She reluctantly picked up something that looked identical to octopus and put it in her mouth. It wasn't too bad at the beginning. It was spicy like curry at first, then it became bitter-sweet like hoisin sauce and something else. And finally, at the end the taste was unexplainable to the human kind. It was rancid and unbearable, it made your stomach churn and feel like you were going to vomit.

Rukia bit her lip, and swallowed, trying to keep the tears in her eyes from falling. She had the feeling that the after taste would be worse.

Tatsuki and Rangiku stared at her in pity, but jumped the moment they saw Rukia's tears. They knew what was coming if they didn't do something, "We'll be right back! We're going to go get some juice and alka-seltzer!" they said in unison, springing up and sprinting away towards the school building.

"Alka-seltzer? What do they need that for?" Orihime blinked and shrugged it off a moment later. "So how was it, Rukia-chan?" she asked, smiling sweetly.

"It was… delicious! But I'm a bit more used to French food so I don't know what to say…," Rukia smiled nervously and tried to block out the pain in her stomach. "It's so good that I'm crying," she said laughing, pointing to "happy" tears.

"Yay! I'm so happy you love it! You have tastes, Rukia-chan! If you like it, I'm sure Kurosaki-kun would like it too," said Orihime, looking happily up into the sky.

Now that caught Rukia's attention. Ichigo? When did Ichigo enter conversation?

"Ichigo?"

Orihime suddenly turned pink, "Yeah... ano... could I ask you a question, Rukia-chan?" She looked down and fiddled with her skirt.

Rukia blinked, "Yeah, what is it?"

Orihime looked up with all playfulness gone from her face, now seriousness replaced it. "What is your relationship with Kurosaki-kun?" she asked, to which the raven haired girl widened her eyes in surprise at the sudden question and shrugged, "We're just childhood friends, like we are with Renji." Was it her, or did Orihime look relieved, "Why do you ask?"

The other girl looked nervously down at her skirt and started fiddling with it again, "It's because I... like Kurosaki-kun," she admitted, embarrassed. Her bangs shaped perfectly around her face, making her look cute along with her blush.

Rukia just stared at her. After having what Orihime said sink in, she tried really hard not to laugh, but she couldn't help but let out a small giggle. She couldn't imagine it. Ichigo and Orihime walking around at a fair while holding hands, all lovey-dovey… well, maybe she could, just a little bit. But it was pretty damn funny nonetheless.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You like Ichigo?" Orihime nodded and dreamily stared up at the roof top where the said orange haired teen sat with his friends. Rukia smirked and put a finger to her chin, completely forgetting about her stomach pains. "Why don't you ask him out?" She had a plan, and she was going to make sure it worked. Hopefully.

The auburn haired girl widened her eyes in surprise and blushed, "O-o-oh! I… I'm too nervous. I don't know if he'll accept my feelings! I'm too scared to find out."

"Well, I'll help you then. And I'll make _sure _he accepts! Why wouldn't he give you a chance? You're pretty, you're nice and you have a good personality. Plus, you might be the only girl willing to go out with him…," said Rukia, determined. "We shall call this plan, '_l_e plan pour obtenir Orihime et Ichigo ensemble!'"

Orihime jumped back in surprise but then smiled happily, "Uh, yeah! Thank you, Rukia-chan!"

"No problem! And you have library duty after school right?" Orihime nodded while Rukia smiled evilly, "Okay! Now just leave the rest to me, Orihime."

* * *

"Ichigo!" Rukia ran up to Ichigo and grabbed onto his arm. "Let's go to the library!" she said, putting on her sweet talk and puppy dog eyes. No one, and she meant no one could resist. She even used this trick back when they were children.

Ichigo scowled deeper, "I have to go to practice with the football [soccer] guys," he said, ignoring her and walking the opposite direction.

"Please! It's important!" She stuck out her lip bottom lip and started to bat her eyes.

She could tell Ichigo was having a hard time trying to ignore her, especially when she was clinging to him and had her face close to his own. "N-no, go by yourself, I can't today," he said, trying to reason.

She started getting teary and sniffled and let go of his arm, falling to the ground dramatically with a corny background. "I know what it is, you don't like me anymore! I'm going to fly back to France!"

Now this ticked him off, especially with all the looks he was getting. Teachers frowned down at him, guys shook their heads in disappointment, and girls glared at him. He sighed, "Fine, let's go!" He grabbed her arm and quickly ran to the library, away from the awkward stares.

The whole way there, Rukia chuckled evilly at her "amazing" skills and the plan that was about to unfold.

Once at the place of destination, he crossed his arms and looked at her. "So what did you want to do here?"

She shrugged, "I was going to go look for some Shakespeare books and I wanted your opinion," she lied, dragging him over to the front counter where Orihime sat. "Why don't you talk to Orihime until I get back?" she smiled, mischief written all over her face.

"Well, if it's Shakespeare, I can help you look for the books," he said, following her.

She stuck her hand out signaling for him to stop. "No, you stay here. I'm sure Orihime needs some company. Now be a good boy and stay." She laughed to herself, and sprung off leaving a clueless Ichigo with a flushed Orihime.

_Hopefully Orihime gets enough confidence to ask him out, or at least say something, _thought Rukia, frowning. Rather than stopping at the shelf filled with Shakespeare plays, she passed it and stopped in front of the shelf with animal books, particularly the "rabbit section."

_**-Ichigo and Orihime-**_

"Uh, Kurosaki-kun, how are you?" asked Orihime, scanning a couple of books. She looked up at him, but blushed and looked down, avoiding his eyes.

He simply shrugged, "I don't know, fine I guess. And you?"

She smiled, "I'm doing great! I made two new recipes and-" she then stopped after noticing she got side tracked. Tension filled the air between the two as they stood together in silence.

"Ano... um... actually, I wanted to ask you if you want t-to... hangout sometime!" she said, pretty loud, but not loud enough that people could hear. Ichigo blinked and looked at her questioningly, he opened his mouth to reply, but she beat him to it. "I invited Rukia-chan, Tatsuki-chan and Abarai-kun too!" She added quickly, it was clear she was nervous, but Ichigo was too oblivious to notice.

"Sure, but to do what?" Ichigo lifted a single orange brow, and tapped his fingers on the counter.

Orihime blushed and quickly thought of something, "Uh, how about we go to the fair this Friday after school? It'll be fun with all of us together. Please say you'll come!" Ichigo hesitated but then nodded reluctantly. "That's great! It will be so much fun!" She laughed nervously as played with her fingers under the counter.

After several minutes in silence, Rukia came trotting down with a smirk on her face. She had 3 books in her arms, "Could I take these out, Hime?" she placed them on the counter and the other girl gladly took them and started to scan them.

Rukia glanced at Ichigo and leaned over the counter and whispered into Orihime's ear, "So, how'd it go?" she was hoping for good results.

"Well, I got nervous and asked him if he wanted to come to the fair with you, Tatsuki-chan and Abarai-kun. I'm sorry...," the auburn-haired girl whispered back. This caused the raven-haired girl to sigh.

"It's okay. I suppose we'll work from there," she said, backing away and winking at Orihime before taking the books and walking away.

Ichigo felt there was something fishy going on. Why did Rukia want him to go the library with her just to have him wait, she didn't even ask his opinion for anything! He eyed the shorter girl suspiciously, "What was all that about?" he asked. She shrugged and chuckled when he didn't notice that she had handed him her books to hold and how she was walking empty handed. He looked down, and instead of noticing he was holding her books, "I thought you were looking for Shakespeare? Not shit about rabbits."

"It's not shit! I happen to like rabbits more than plays and stuff," she retorted, crossing her arms and looking away. "Seriously, how do you have a fan club? It's beyond me," she mumbled to herself.

"What? Did you say something?"

"Nope, nothing."

* * *

_**Preview...**_

_She looked around at all the lights and people. The fair was really lively. There were people around everywhere and there were children running around every corner. It was more like a westernized fair than anything, but with some Japanese changes._

_She looked over at her friends, and laughed when she noticed Ichigo standing there like an idiot with his arms crossed as Renji and Tatsuki went against each other in some kind of shooting thing while Orihime cheered them on._

_They've all been having fun, but Rukia felt kind of awkward, like a third-wheel... or a fifth wheel in this case. Not that Renji and Tatsuki were "together" or that Ichigo and Orihime were together either. Actually, Rukia just felt like a mother who had to baby sit children as they ran wild, it was kind of annoying. Despite feeling that way, Rukia had to concentrate on her mission; getting Orihime alone together with Ichigo so she could confess._

_The job wouldn't be easy though. The idiot was known for being stubborn and stupid, so she had to make up a situation that would work. _Maybe if I bribe him before Orihime confesses, he'll say yes… yeah, that would work_, she thought to herself, feeling satisfied with the idea._


	5. Chapter 5: Of Missions and Meetings

_**Just so you guys know, the implication of IchiHime is just for drama and to give Ichigo and Rukia time to bond and really, "feel."  
Realistically speaking, if you met up with your opposite gendered friend after 10 years who you STILL see as a friend and/or brother, you wouldn't be feeling jealous or anything since you're not**_** in love with them yet. So calm down and just read, if I made Rukia jealous right away, this story would be pointless.  
**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own or claim Bleach by all means. However, I do own Bleach metaphorically speaking… eh, I can't even own Bleach that way either. Fml…

* * *

_Previously…_

_-Ichigo and Orihime-_

_"Uh, Kurosaki-kun, how are you?" asked Orihime, scanning a couple of books. She looked up at him, but blushed and looked down, avoiding his eyes._

_He simply shrugged, "I don't know, fine I guess. And you?"_

_She smiled, "I'm doing great! I made two new recipes and-" she then stopped after noticing she got side tracked. Tension filled the air between the two as they stood together in silence._

_"Ano... um... actually, I wanted to ask you if you want t-to... hangout sometime!" she said, pretty loud, but not loud enough that people could hear. Ichigo blinked and looked at her questioningly, he opened his mouth to reply, but she beat him to it. "I invited Rukia-chan, Tatsuki-chan and Abarai-kun too!" She added quickly, it was clear she was nervous, but Ichigo was too oblivious to notice._

_"Sure, but to do what?" Ichigo lifted a single orange brow, and tapped his fingers on the counter._

_Orihime blushed and quickly thought of something, "Uh, how about we go to the fair this Friday after school? It'll be fun with all of us together. Please say you'll come!" Ichigo hesitated but then nodded reluctantly. "That's great! It will be so much fun!" She laughed nervously as played with her fingers under the counter._

_After several minutes in silence, Rukia came trotting down with a smirk on her face. She had 3 books in her arms, "Could I take these out, Hime?" she placed them on the counter and the other girl gladly took them and started to scan them._

_Rukia glanced at Ichigo and leaned over the counter and whispered into Orihime's ear, "So, how'd it go?" she was hoping for good results._

_"Well, I got nervous and asked him if he wanted to come to the fair with you, Tatsuki-chan and Abarai-kun. I'm sorry...," the auburn-haired girl whispered back. This caused the raven-haired girl to sigh._

_"It's okay. I suppose we'll work from there," she said, backing away and winking at Orihime before taking the books and walking away._

_Ichigo felt there was something fishy going on. Why did Rukia want him to go the library with her just to have him wait, she didn't even ask his opinion for anything! He eyed the shorter girl suspiciously, "What was all that about?" he asked. She shrugged and chuckled when he didn't notice that she had handed him her books to hold and how she was walking empty handed. He looked down, and instead of noticing he was holding her books, "I thought you were looking for Shakespeare? Not shit about rabbits."_

_"It's not shit! I happen to like rabbits more than plays and stuff," she retorted, crossing her arms and looking away. "Seriously, how do you have a fan club? It's beyond me," she mumbled to herself._

_"What? Did you say something?"_

_"Nope, nothing."_

* * *

**_Chapter 5: Of Missions and Meetings_**

It has been a whole week since she arrived in Japan. A week wasn't what one would call "long," but she felt as if she had been in Karakura the whole time.

She had made friends with almost everybody and was casually moving around and about by herself now. This feeling, she absolutely _loved _it. It was known by most as "freedom," something she didn't have much of back in France. She always had to stay holed up in the manor either studying or helping Hisana with her work, but most of the time she was by herself with her personal maid. It was unbearable and lonely. Byakuya was either on a business trip or was in his private library doing whatever he did in there. And Hisana on the other hand would either be in her studio, or somewhere around the city, usually in the outlets.

"Rukia-san, are you okay? You've look a bit dazed," asked a girl with black tied up hair, known as Hinamori Momo. She looked at her with concern and held out a juice box.

It was lunch time and Rukia had been sitting under their usual tree with Momo. While Orihime had gone to get sandwiches, and Tatsuki went to go fetch more drinks.

Rukia blinked and smiled, "Oh, I'm fine, Momo. I was just thinking about something," she gladly took the juice box and attempted to poke the straw into the cursed hole. She had always hated juice boxes… they never seemed to want to open for her. It was always someone else who had to open it for her; usually it was Ichigo.

Yes, she was a girl of many talents, but the only thing she lacked talent for was opening juice boxes, and maybe drawing according to the two buffoons she called her best friends.

"Argh! Damn it to hell," cursed Rukia, literally stabbing her juice box. She, like Tatsuki, had a bad habit of cursing and getting angry easily. It wasn't exactly safe to be around the girl when she was mad. She, herself, even had to admit that she was a hypocrite when it came to cursing though. She yelled at Ichigo and Renji for cursing, but honestly, she had hell of a potty mouth.

Rukia attacked the poor juice box with her straw repeatedly before having it taken out of her hand from above, "Gently, like so. Remember, the juice box has feelings too, you know," said someone sarcastically from above.

She looked up and found Ichigo standing over her with the juice box and straw in hand. He was wearing the school's gray uniform jacket with it unzipped to reveal the black shirt he wore on the inside. She watched as he slowly stuck the straw into the little hole with ease and then handed the juice back to her. "See? Wasn't that easy? No need for unnecessary frustration," said Ichigo, smirking down at her. "You and Tatsuki really need to control those anger issues. You're never going to find a guy that way."

Renji, who was behind Ichigo, crossed his arms and nodded, "Yeah, for once I agree. It's not the least bit attractive. Guys will start acting like pussies and avoid you. Just look at Tatsuki, guys cower in fear just by looking at her."

"And you, being one of them?" Rukia retorted, sipping her juice box innocently.

Renji glared at her and moved closer, "Like hell I'd be scared of that bitch!" Rukia arched her brow and continued with her sipping.

"Who's a bitch?" Speak of the devil.

Tatsuki walked up behind Renji with a plastic bag of juice boxes and slapped her hand on his shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze.

He scowled at her, "I was just talking about how much of a _bitch_ you can be!" replied Renji giving her a nasty glare.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Excuse me? What did you just say?" she tightened her fists getting ready to deck him in the face.

"I. Called. You. A. Damn. Bitch!" he said, mocking her. And that was the signal for Tatsuki to tackle him down to the ground, throwing the plastic bag over her shoulder.

While they were rolling around on the ground, Orihime returned with an armful of wrapped sandwiches. As if not noticing the commotion, she obliviously stepped around the two and proceeded to walk to her spot under the tree. "I brought the sandwiches!" She announced gleefully before blindly bumping into something hard. "Eeek!" She squealed as she threw all the sandwiches in the air before landing on her bottom.

"Owee… when did they put a giant garden gnome there?" she said, rubbing her backside. She looked up to the "garden gnome" and immediately widened her eyes.

Oh. Dear. Heavens.

"Sorry about that, Inoue," said Ichigo, extending a hand out to her.

The said girl blinked before taking his hand. "Oh! No, it's fine! I should have been paying attention anyways! Hehe, silly me! I kept thinking about this funny T.V. show I saw last night and totally got distracted," She laughed and rubbed the back of her head and started to pick up the sandwiches off the ground to only have them drop again.

Ichigo lifted a single brow before kneeling down to help her get the sandwiches. After picking them up, he handed them to her. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun!"

While on the side-lines, Rukia smirked as she watched them, amused. "Oi, Ichigo, are you going to the fair with us later?"

Ichigo looked down at the raven haired girl and shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I'll go. Renji's coming too, right?"

"Yeah, he's coming," she said, widening her smirk, "See, Hime? Ichigo's coming with us, no need to worry about it. You ranted for an hour for nothing," She teased her blushing friend.

The said girl turned a bright red color, putting Renji's hair to shame, when she noticed everyone was staring at her, including Ichigo. "Ano… I-I-I… uh, have to go the bathroom! Here, Rukia, take the sandwiches," said Orihime, fidgeting and quickly handing Rukia the sandwiches –practically throwing them at her- before she made her escape to the "bathroom" to hide her tomato colored face. Must Rukia embarrass her so?

After running a safe distance away, she let out a sigh. "I need to control myself…" She let out another sigh and leaned against a tree to catch her breath. She looked up at the sky and observed the moving clouds. _I wonder if I can catch a unicorn cloud… that would be so awesome! It could turn into a real unicorn and take me to a forbidden land where I'm the princess and Kuchiki-san is the queen and she arranges for me to marry Kurosaki-kun and we could happily ever after, _daydreamed Orihime.

She stood there dazing off until something caught her eye, up on the roof of the school sat a black haired teen –presumably a guy- with his back against the railing. "He must be one of Kurosaki-kun and Abarai-kun's friend along with everyone else up there. That's where they usually hang out," thought Orihime out loud.

From where she stood, it seemed like the black haired guy was looking at the clouds, like she had just been doing just a moment ago. Being the curious girl she was, she moved a little closer to the school and turned a different angle to see if anyone else was up on the roof with them. To her disappointment, she couldn't see anything other than the person.

However, she did happen to catch a glimpse of the side of _his_ face. He had pretty pale skin, and she wasn't sure, but she could have sworn his irises were… bright emerald green.

Orihime started inching forward slowly and just stared at him, she didn't want to stare, but she was curious about him. Why was he alone? How come she had never seen him before? Was he a new student?

Just as she finally got a good glimpse at his facial features, someone walked up to him and leaned on the railing on the side Orihime had been looking at. She frowned and looked up to see who it was, and it was undoubtedly, Grimmjow due to the wild teal hair.

Disappointed, she pouted and walked back to her friends. When she returned, Renji and Tatsuki weren't tussling anymore and everyone was calm… except for Ichigo and Rukia who were having an argument, of course.

"What do you mean you can't find my notes?" asked Ichigo, his eye twitching.

"I looked in my bag this morning and they weren't there! I gave them back to you last night!" said Rukia, stabbing her food with frustration.

"No, you didn't! I would have remembered. So what am I going to do now? I'm going to get killed if I don't have them." Ichigo crossed him arms and leaned on the tree.

"I don't know? Take mine and just recopy them, it's not that hard."

"I can't read your chicken scratch handwriting! And you draw crappy rabbits everywhere and write part of your notes in French or in some confusing code!"

Everyone just watched as the two bickered back and forth, enjoying the entertainment.

Finally, after the last straw, Tatsuki spoke up. "What notes are you missing anyways? You can have mine."

"She lost my English notes," replied Ichigo, jerking his thumb towards Rukia.

"I didn't lose them for the last time, you dumbass! You lost your own damn notes!"

And the fighting initiated again.

Tatsuki sighed as she pushed her hair off her shoulder. "I feel like they can make an argument out of anything, I swear," she said, rolling her eyes. "Even over some stupid English notes."

That's when Renji's ears perked up, "Wait, did you say English notes?"

"Yeah, they've been yelling about Ichigo's notes for a while now. What's with the sudden surprise?" Tatsuki swallowed the last of her sandwich and looked at Renji suspiciously. "Don't tell me you're the one who has the notes?"

The red haired teen laughed nervously, "About that…

"After dinner yesterday, Rukia told Ichigo she was putting his notes in his school bag, and I thought he knew. So I went through Ichigo's bag and took his notes. I forgot to tell him I was borrowing them after Karin asked me something," he said, pulling out Ichigo's notes.

"Knucklehead! I knew there was a reason why I wanted to punch you today!" said Tatsuki, looking about ready to shank him.

"Just so you know, you want to punch me every day, but that's besides the point right now," he said, slyly. "Yo', Ichigo! Here are your notes! I forgot to tell you that I was borrowing them yesterday." Renji threw the orange haired teen his notes.

"AHA! See, I didn't lose your notes did I?" said Rukia, crossing her arms with a smug expression. "And I don't need an apology since I know your male pride wouldn't give in. So just get me some cotton candy at the fair later, 'kay?" She put on her actress voice and smiled awfully sweetly at him.

Ichigo scowled deeper and sighed, "Of course, M'lady," he said, sarcastic. "And just so you know, male pride doesn't prevent me from being courteous. Despite what Byakuya may think…"

"Oh, and I thought you didn't have manners." Rukia smirked at him, to which the sides of his mouth quirked up a bit.

"Yeah, whatever."

* * *

"Where should we go next?" asked Orihime, enjoying her ketchup ice cream.

They had just left the exotic ice cream stand, which the auburn haired girl had persistently pestered everyone to go to. Luckily for them, it also served normal flavors, like chocolate and vanilla, along with flavors like hoisin sauce and mayonnaise, to Orihime's delight.

Rukia had ended up getting strawberry and vanilla since they were her favorite, while Ichigo got chocolate, Renji got some kind of fruit mixture and Tatsuki got mint chocolate chip, leaving Orihime as the only one with a weird flavor of ice cream. She had spent a good ten minutes trying to decide what she wanted and just ended up mayonnaise, red bean paste, and ketchup flavored ice cream with raisins, sprinkles and mustard on top. It was even unbearable for the stand owner to watch her eat the concoction.

"I don't know? We already went on some of the rides. Why don't we play some of the games?" suggested Rukia, licking the small melted drips of ice cream flowing down her cone.

Tatsuki nodded, "Yeah, that's sounds okay." Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you guys go? I'll wait here and finish my ice cream," offered Rukia, taking a bite out of her cone.

"I think I'll wait here too," said Ichigo, finishing his ice cream.

Rukia narrowed her eyes, "Nope, you're going too, Ichigo," she said, kicking him in the ass lightly.

Before he could say something, Renji grabbed his arm and pulled him as he, himself, was being dragged by Tatsuki. He muttered something akin to, "You can't leave me alone with this crazy ass chick."

Rukia laughed at her stupid friends, and continued to slowly eat her ice cream. It was nice to hang around with friends. Ishida was invited along with Keigo and Mizuiro, but they couldn't make it, so it ended up just being the five of them. It was better that way though. Her plan could fall into place smoother.

She had asked Ichigo before if he hung around with everyone often, to which he said "sometimes." He said he only hung out when there wasn't a test coming up, and since it was their last year of high school, free time wasn't exactly spent having fun, unless you were Keigo.

Apparently, whenever he hung out with his friends, Tatsuki would bring Orihime also, making her part of their "group." It was kind of weird since everyone actually had friends, or acquaintances from other "groups." Sometimes when the girls weren't sitting at the tree, they would sit on the roof with Ichigo, Renji and their other friends. Rukia knew some of them as they had introduced themselves to her. There was Ikkaku, Yumichika, Toshiro, Hisagi, and Izuru if she remembered clearly. Sometimes Shinji and Grimmjow came, along with a black haired depressed looking guy who would also show up with Grimmjow. She didn't know who he was. She didn't really dwell on it though since it wasn't really important, but she was curious.

Putting those thoughts to the side, Rukia bit the last of her cone and yawned. She looked around at all the lights and people. The fair was really lively. There were people around everywhere and there were children running around every corner. It was more like a westernized fair than anything, but with some Japanese changes.

She looked over at her friends, and laughed when she noticed Ichigo standing there like an idiot with his arms crossed as Renji and Tatsuki went against each other in some kind of shooting thing while Orihime cheered them on.

They've all been having fun, but Rukia felt kind of awkward, like a third-wheel... or a fifth wheel in this case. Not that Renji and Tatsuki were "together" or that Ichigo and Orihime were together either. Actually, Rukia just felt like a mother who had to baby sit children as they ran wild, it was kind of annoying. Despite feeling that way, Rukia had to concentrate on her mission; getting Orihime alone together with Ichigo so she could confess.

The job wouldn't be easy though. The idiot was known for being stubborn and stupid, so she had to make up a situation that would work. _Maybe if I bribe him before Orihime confesses, he'll say yes… yeah, that would work,_ she thought to herself, feeling satisfied with the idea.

As she was about to walk over to them, someone abruptly walked into her, causing her to lose her balance and tumble over.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't see you there," said someone, most likely a guy, extending his hand out to her, which she took.

While she was pretty pissed, she couldn't start rampaging in public, so she cleared her throat and brushed off the dust on her skirt. "It's fine," then she took a look at the person, and widened her eyes. _Ichigo? _

"How about I treat you to ice cream or something as an apology?" asked the person, who oddly looked very similar to her orange haired friend. He scratched the back of his head, "And the name's Kaien by the way, Shiba Kaien."

She blinked and realized that he indeed wasn't Ichigo, "No, it's okay. And I'm Kuchiki Rukia, nice to meet you Shiba-san."

Kaien grimaced, "Ugh, no, don't call me that. Kaien is fine," he said, smiling.

"Then Kaien-san it is, and me, I'm just Rukia," she returned the smile.

"Okay, _Rukia_, sorry again, do you want me to get you ice cream or something?_" _

She shook her head, "No, I already said it was fine and besides, I just finished an ice cream cone two seconds before you bumped into me," she said, laughing.

"I still feel kinda bad though. How about I take you on some rides? You know, just to hangout. I don't think I've seen you around before, so you must be new at our school," he said, shrugging, looking at the school uniform she was wearing.

Rukia looked downwards and picked at her shirt, "Yeah, I am. I just recently moved here.

"And your offer sounds nice, but I'm here with my friends and I might be taking you away from your friends, so I don't know…"

Kaien chuckled and shook his head, "My friends already left, and I'm sure your friends won't mind right? Where are they?"

She pointed over to her little group of weirdos, who were staring at them. Orihime waved and gestured with her hand for them to come over there. She nodded and looked back at Kaien before walking over with him following close behind.

"Hey, if it isn't Kurosaki and Abarai, I haven't seen you guys in awhile," greeted the dark haired teen, sending them a friendly grin.

"Yo, Kaien, what are you doing here?" asked Renji, returning the grin.

The other teen shrugged, "My friends forced me to come. How about you guys?"

This time, Ichigo answered, "Rukia black mailed us." He glared at the said raven haired girl, who she returned it.

Kaien laughed, "She's a piece of work. She can keep you dumbasses in order," he said, smirking as the other two teens glared at him. "By the way, I was wondering if I could steal her for awhile. I owe her some fun since I un-gentlemanly bumped into her?"

Rukia raised her brow, but stayed silent.

"We don't care, go ahead," said Renji, shrugging.

"You'd be our savior. She nags and complains like a mom on menopause," added Ichigo, avoiding a hit from Rukia.

"Yeah, she looks like she hasn't been having much fun, so go ahead," said Tatsuki on the side. "Just don't try anything funny."

"Who do you think I am, Arisawa?" laughed Kaien.

While they chatted, Orihime looked worriedly at Rukia, obviously worrying about their plan.

"I've gotten Ichigo to go on rides with you today, so he's softened up. I think the rest is up to you. Go on the Ferris wheel or get Renji and Tatsuki distracted with some game and drag him away and start small talk. It should be easy," whispered Rukia, smiling.

The wind picked up, blowing Orihime's bangs into her hopeful face. "Okay! While I think it's easy for you since you know him so well, I'll try my best! And have fun Kuchiki-san!"

"So Rukia, you ready to go?" asked Kaien.

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Rukia stretched her arms out and yawned, "Next time if we go on the bumper cars again, I'm not going to hold back! I'm smashing into you full force."

"Yeah, okay. We'll see about that," Kaien chuckled and dropped down on the bench right next to her, watching as the small children ran back and forth with their tired parents following behind. "That was pretty fun, wasn't it?"

"It was. Thanks for "playing" with me," she said, resting her head on the back of the bench.

They sat in silence and just enjoyed the fragrant smells of food and the colorful lights.

"How come you weren't having that much fun when you were with your friends?" he suddenly asked, curious.

She shrugged and smiled, "I didn't necessarily come here to have fun. I'm on a mission-"

"Wait, that's kinda weird. You sound as if you're in one of those suspenseful secret agent movies."

"If you'd let me finish, then maybe you'll know why I said that… honestly, there are times you and Ichigo act the same," she said, crossing her arms.

"That isn't new. People think we're twins, but anyways, continue, about the 'mission."

Rukia laughed, but continued anyway, "Orihime, likes Ichigo, but she's not good with the whole confessing and shit ordeal. So I'm trying to be a good friend and help her and Ichigo get closer. Then she'll feel comfortable enough to talk to him, and eventually confess. She's supposed to confess today, so I'm hoping my efforts work."

"Inoue-san likes Kurosaki? Since when? Actually, now that I think about it, it was pretty obvious…," said Kaien, thinking.

"Yeah, it's obvious to everyone but that idiot."

"You talk about him so casually, are you two close?"

She nodded, "We're childhood friends, Renji too. We're all best friends," she smiled, remembering a stupid moment in the past where her idiot friends were being… well, idiots. "They're dumbasses, but they're my dumbasses."

Kaien nodded, noting her smile, "Usually all the people I know who have opposite gender friends always have a period in time where there is a 'change in feelings.'"

"Nah, that's not us. I'm just like any other guy friend, except I'm not. I have ovaries and estrogen, not testicles," she said humorously, smirking up at an amused Kaien.

"I see… that's a nice way to think about it, I guess. We should hang out at school some time. I heard you came from France right?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Maybe sometime, you can teach me stuff about France. I like learning about foreign places from people who have actually lived there for many years."

Rukia grinned at him, "That sounds nice… maybe we can do that." She stared up at the stars, and sighed, "Well, it's getting late. I better go," she said standing up.

"See ya' some time in school, Kaien-san!" She then waved and walked away, unaware that Kaien was still watching her.

* * *

_**The next day…**_

"So?" Rukia looked expectantly at Orihime as she approached the other girl's desk.

Orihime looked down nervously and started to play with her skirt as if she was a child who had done something wrong. "Ano…"

"Well?"

"Ara… I chickened out. It was so hard because he kept staring at me and I froze! Then Tatsuki-chan interrupted and I didn't get another chance!" she cried. "Gomen!"

_Flashback… _

_Orihime managed to get Renji and Tatsuki distracted with a frog catching game, hence the duo screaming at each other at each failure to catch a frog._

_She sighed, having gotten that part down. Now she had to start the small talk. _

_Ichigo was standing next to her with a hand in his pocket, watching as his friends bickered over some frogs. They were standing a pretty far distance away from the other two and it was getting fairly dark, so it felt like it was just them._

"_Today was fun wasn't it?" asked Orihime, smiling._

"_I guess it was, excluding the part where Renji spilled his drink on me," he answered, frowning at the memory. _

"_That was pretty funny though! Especially the part when you and Abarai-kun started fighting and turning red!" she laughed, rubbing the back of her head.  
_

_They stood awkwardly in silence for several more minutes before Orihime piped up, "So... I need to tell you something."_

_Ichigo looked over at her with raised eyebrows, "What is it?"_

_She lightly blushed as he stared at her, suddenly losing the confidence she had minutes ago. She was already comfortable talking to him and everything, but when he just stared at her, it freaked her out. _

"_Ano… I… well… how do I say it?" she said fidgeting with her hands, looking downwards._

_His brows lifted higher on his head, if possible, as he waited for her to finish._

"_I just wanted to say that…," then she completely froze, and forgot what to say. The fidgeting of her hands increased as she tried to think._

"_Why are you so fidgety?"_

"_No reason… and what I want to say is that,_

"_I think… ABARAI-KUN AND TATSUKI-CHAN LIKE EACH OTHER!" she said loudly, many decibels higher than her usual tone. _

_Ichigo blinked at her outburst, but then laughed. "You think so?"_

_She nodded and breathed heavily, calming her nerves._

_Suddenly Tatsuki stomped over, _"_I do not like that red haired buffoon, I'll let you know!" she yelled, furious._

_End of Flashback…_

Rukia groaned and mentally facepalmed herself. She sighed, and pet Orihime's head, "Oh well… there's always next time right?"

She was kind of relieved actually. Now she could talk to Ichigo before Orihime confessed so that the chances of him accepting would be at least more than half. This whole process would take time, but she really believed that there was potential that Ichigo could learn to like Orihime. She was sweet and kind, and could possibly loosen up his scowl and toughness.

Rukia believed that Orihime was what Ichigo needed.

* * *

_**Preview…**_

"_Ichigo, I can't sleep…," whined Rukia, walking into his room uninvited._

_He was still awake and at his desk, probably studying or doing homework. "What do you want me to do about it?"_

"_Play with me!"_

_He snorted, "Play? How old are you? Seven?" he said, not facing towards her._

"_I was seven the last time you saw me, so that's why you should hang out with me right now!" she demanded, latching herself onto his arm, and forcefully pulling him out of the chair. _

_Ichigo frowned and lightly smacked at her arm to get off, "If you haven't noticed, it's eleven already!"_

"_Let's play video games," she said, awfully loudly, ignoring him. She managed to completely pull him out of the chair, despite her small size, and jump on top of him. She held his arms back, and used her legs to keep his legs from struggling  
_

_After some friendly outbanter and tussling, he finally gave in, _"_Fine, whatever! Just don't make so much noise!"_

_Rukia grinned in victory and rolled off of him._

* * *

_**A/N:** _After more than a year of no updates... here you go! I hope you enjoy! And I made the chapter a little longer to make up for my disappearance!

And please check out my other stories for those of you who haven't read my stories!

**Please tell me what you think! I'd love to know your opinions [since it's been forever since I updated]!  
**


	6. Chapter 6: Life As We Know It

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone!

_And please read the ending A/N!_

* * *

_**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Bleach... or LMH sadly...

* * *

**_Chapter 6: Life As We Know It_**

After the fair a few weeks back, Rukia couldn't find any more opportunities to play out her plan. Either everyone was busy working at their part time jobs, or she, being fairly lazy, just didn't feel "in the mood" for anything, even if it was helping a friend out.

According to her, matchmaking wasn't exactly top priority on her list anymore, especially when it came to oblivious buffoons who didn't know a thing about flirting!

So life went on regularly, with everyone going to school, then to work, and Rukia occasionally attempting to find out what she would do for her next plan. Taking it slow was probably the best choice. She never got the chance to talk to Ichigo about Orihime anyways, so it was better that everyone was busy.

"I don't see what's so special about it," said Ichigo, blankly staring at the phone screen currently being shoved in his face. "It looks like a waste of money," he brushed away her hand and readjusted the pillow under his head.

Rukia stared at him with her mouth hanging open as he went back to his book, "What do you mean there's nothing special about this? This is the one and only special edition gold and crystal embroidered _Chappy_ paperweight that I've been waiting so long for! I've commissioned three replicates to be made… but they're not as genuine as the original!"

He rolled his eyed, not sparing her a glance, "Obviously, it can't be genuine unless it were the original. And while I knew you were crazy, this about justifies it; you, Kuchiki Rukia, are one crazy bitch."

This time it was her turn to roll her eyes, "As if I haven't heard that one before. And I may be crazy, but I at least know how to enjoy life rather than rereading unabridged versions of Shakespeare's plays all day." She looked over at him, and jumped off the couch, "You're boring, I'm going to grab a snack."

"It's not like I live to entertain you, your majesty," he replied sarcastically. "And when you say, 'to live,' do you mean that I have to waste countless amounts of my money on a _paperweight_ to really live?"

"Not exactly, but if you choose to waste money on a _Chappy _paperweight, I don't see the problem at all," she said, rummaging through the fridge. "And while I'm here, I might as well teach you a thing or two! Kind of like those cheesy old movies where there's a lesson learned at the end!"

"Eh, I'd rather not, thank you very much." Ichigo yawned and flipped to the next page of his book.

She frowned, "Too bad, I'm teaching you anyway." She spooned some green tea ice cream, and sat down next to him on the couch. "Lesson one, stop being such a kill joy all the time," she poked the bottom of his foot with her finger, and when he didn't budge, she grinned evilly. Standing up, she slowly moved her hand down to his knee, where she squeezed both sides of his knee with her fingers, instantly causing him to jump up from the sensation that was shot up his leg.

She laughed playfully before running away with her spoon of green tea ice cream sticking out of her mouth.

And Ichigo, having lost his page, glared daggers her way. "I'm going to choke you!"

Lying on with her stomach against the bed, she stared at the manga in her hands with much concentration, her eyebrows practically touching, deep in thought.

The manga she was currently reading was very relatable. The main heroine was in the same situation she was in. They were both playing matchmaker to help their friends get together, so maybe it was fate that she found this manga… that it was a message!

"Oi, Ichigo, I heard somewhere that it's good to take advice from manga. Is that true?" she asked, out of the blue. She waited for his answer, swinging her legs back and forth in the air as she leaned her head in her hand.

Ichigo shrugged, "I don't know, I guess…" he said, not taking his eyes off his book.

Taking that as a yes, she nodded to herself, "Hmm… I see."

Maybe she should take into account whatever the main heroine does and follow along if the situation fits. It seemed like a good idea since Rukia herself didn't plan that far ahead. And according to the manga, she was doing certain things wrong.

Nodding, she skipped a few pages in the manga book, _I suppose that makes sense! Getting them to know each other more and putting them in uncomfortable situations should work the charm, _she thought, smirking to herself. _I'm so clever…_

"What are you smiling at?" asked her orange haired friend, looking at the book she held in her hands. He recognized that kind of smile; a suspiciously crafty kind of smile. "Do you have some evil scheme plotted in that nutshell of yours?"

She stuck her tongue at him and sat up, "Not quite," she stood up and grinned evilly before leaving the room.

Ichigo raised a single brow, confused. This wasn't the first time Rukia's smiled like that and then left the room. It was pretty creepy not knowing what she was thinking in that messed up head of hers.

_Later that week…_

Rukia readjusted her sleep mask before turning onto her side on the bed. She had been tossing and turning since two hours ago trying to sleep, but to no avail. Tonight just happened to be a night where she had no homework, which meant she didn't have to stay up her usual hours to get her work done. And being used to getting only two hours of sleep, or none at all, sleeping this early was anything but easy, especially when she drank her daily dose of coffee which was meant to help her stay up all night to do homework on other days.

She yawned, sticking one of her legs out from under the blanket. She was pretty tired of trying to sleep, which was kind of funny. She was tired, but not "sleepy" tired.

"Ugh! I can't take this, I'm going to go bug the idiot," she got up and scratched her head in frustration. She stomped –quietly- to Ichigo's room and opened the door, not even bothering to knock.

"Ichigo, I can't sleep…," whined Rukia, walking into his room uninvited.

He was still awake and at his desk, probably studying or doing homework. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Play with me!"

He snorted, "Play? How old are you? Seven?" he said, not facing towards her.

"I was seven the last time you saw me, so that's why you should hang out with me right now!" she demanded, latching herself onto his arm, and forcefully pulling him out of the chair.

Ichigo frowned and lightly smacked at her arm to get off, "If you haven't noticed, it's eleven already!"

"Let's play video games," she said, awfully loudly, ignoring him. She managed to completely pull him out of the chair, despite her small size, and jump on top of him. She held his arms back, and used her legs to keep his legs from struggling.

After some friendly out banter and tussling, he finally gave in, "Fine, whatever! Just don't make so much noise!"

Rukia grinned in victory and rolled off of him.

"I love it when I win, heh," she smirked and jumped onto his bed. "Let's play street fighter!"

And that was how they ended staying up practically all night playing games.

"Damn you! That high kick kills me every time," growled Rukia, staring at the TV with much concentration. "I hate you."

"Love you too," Ichigo smirked and "killed" her again without a bit of effort. "You suck at this game, Chun Lee is not amused."

Rukia glared at him, "Shut up! I'm better at racing games. Let's play one of those," she rummaged through his collection of games before finding a game that appealed to her.

As they waited for the game to load, she popped up a question out of curiosity. "So… do you have anyone you like?" she smirked at him, nudging him in the side, "You don't need to lie. Rukia-nee won't tell."

He frowned, rolling his eyes, "No, I don't need to waste my time with girls."

"But you waste time with me!"

"You're different, I don't consider you a girl," he said, smirking. He then yawned, stretching out his neck and clicking a button on his controller to start the race.

"Should I be offended?" she said, glaring at him. "And you're not interested in dating either?"

Ichigo shook his head, "Nope. And why should I be interested? Girls are nothing but trouble, including you. Except you're not just trouble, you're also a pain in the ass."

"Glad to know," Rukia purposely slammed her car into Ichigo's in the game, even though they were on the "same team."

She mentally shook her head, _I might even have to perform miracles to get this guy to like any girl! No wonder why Isshin questions his sexual orientation sometimes… although, I'm sure he's one hundred percent straight, unless he and Renji have something going on… no, just, no, _thought Rukia, grimacing at her last thought.

Ichigo yawned, losing control of his car, "Can we go to sleep? It's four already."

"No!"

oOo

Finally finishing her English homework, Rukia got out of her chair and stretched her arms out. She almost squealed when she lost her balance, but let out a breath of relief when she caught herself on the chair.

"Damn, that was close," she whispered, fanning herself. She glanced over at her Chappy alarm clock and widened her eyes, "It's already time to get ready for school... fuck."

That was three now; three days that has survived with no sleep, or coffee.

Rukia groaned and walked into the hall, mentally slamming her head into the wall for not doing her English until the last second. Despite the warnings people gave her about procrastinating and being lazy, she honestly could help it! It was primetime and there were so many dramas and so little time!

Entering the bathroom, she made sure to turn on the light before entering, afraid that if she saw herself in the mirror with only the nightlight as her source of light, she would scream at seeing a short haired Sadako.

After attaining to her sanitary needs, she headed to Ichigo's room where she kicked at his mattress, which was her way of waking him up and giving him a sign that his father will barge in, in five minutes. She considered it a "random act of kindness," while he thought of it as "five minutes too early."

"Come on, it's time to get up... I need to copy your math," she whispered, nudging him on the side with her toe. Ichigo groaned and continued to lie still, most likely not even acknowledging her presence. "Get up, pretty please! I spent all night doing my English! I need that math."

He blinked open an eye, and looked up at her, "Well, that's too bad. Renji already stole it when I wasn't looking." He turned onto his other side, and closed his eyes, planning on cherishing the next four minutes.

Usually it was Ichigo who got up before Rukia, but ever since the start of the week, she's been the first one to rise before anyone else due to cramming for tests and starting large homework assignments very late at night.

"I knew there was a reason why I got the urge to punch him!" she said, climbing onto his bed and opening the window. Her knees dug into his bed while her legs rested on top of him as she leaned her elbows on the window sill.

"You're starting to act more like Tatsuki. I know everyone wants to punch him in the face, but you two seem to want to do it more often," said Ichigo, chuckling as he changed his position.

"It's not like you don't want to deck him either!" She turned to him, watching as he chuckled and sat up.

"I can't deny that, but you know what I mean," he said, poking her in the arm. "Now get out, I need to change."

She laughed, poking him back, "It's not like I haven't seen you in boxers before."

He raised a single brow, post taking off his shirt, "You want to see me in boxers?" he said jokingly.

"Nah, I'm good," she said, getting up and leaving, not before elbowing him playfully in the back. "And just so you know, I'm leaving first. I need to hunt down Renji for that math homework."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, buttoning up his shirt, "And just so _you _know, maybe you should try multitasking instead of starting your homework at ungodly hours. There is such a thing as doing homework and watching dramas."

"If I did that, then I'll miss the cute expressions of the adorable actors! Especially baby faced guys like Lee Min Ho."

_At school…_

"Hime! Hime! Come here!" whispered Rukia loudly from the classroom door. She had her head poked in, and was gesturing for the auburn haired girl to come to her. The lunch bell had just wrung, and the bubbly girl was currently talking to someone, so it would have been _ruder_ if Rukia had just grabbed her and run away.

Orihime obviously noticed her since her attention was directed back and forth between Rukia and the person she was talking to. The conversation lasted for three more minutes with Rukia rolling her eyes in between.

"Sorry! We were talking about the newest episode of this one drama-" The auburn haired girl was cut off when the shorter girl grabbed her wrist and quickly dragged her away.

"We have some top secret stuff we need to talk about," said Rukia, finally stopping at the bottom of the stairwell. "Okay, I'm changing up the plan a little."

"Wait, what plan?" Orihime tilted her head and blinked in confusion. "I don't remember making a plan? Is this for a project- Oh! That plan! I almost forgot!" She rubbed the back of her head and laughed, embarrassed.

"Whatever are we to do with you, my child?" Rukia pet the other girl's head like an owner would their puppy, despite her being the shorter one of the two. "Anyways, I was reading this one manga volume! And it has totally changed my mind about how we should play out this plan.

"We're going a bit fast, so I think instead of straight out confessing, you should get to know that idiot more. And I'll make sure I put you guys into awkward situations that will allow you to get closer," she said, smiling. "I got everything set up." That was a lie of course, but if it kept Orihime relieved, then it was worth the lie.

Orihime nodded her head, "Sounds fine to me… but when you say awkward, you don't mean those moments where it's pouring rain and we're forced to stay locked up in a storage room and it's just me… and Kurosaki-kun… alone in a room with no heat and one blanket?" she was blushing madly as her overactive imagination came into play.

"What the hell are you imagining? Not like that! Situations like that don't happen in real life, only in manga and dramas," replied Rukia, a bit scared at what her friend might have been imagining. "You know just little situations like a partner project in class. That kind of shit you're thinking of is a bit too… it's just too early to be thinking about that, okay?

"Well, I got to go now. I need to give Ichigo's math homework to Tatsuki." Rukia smiled at Orihime before heading up the stairs. "See ya' in English!"

As Rukia went up the stairs, she started to feel a bit light headed, most likely from the lack of sleep. And also the fact that she was a bit sick and there were so many stairs she had to climb. "Ugh…"

Almost arriving at the top, she yawned and tucked some hair behind her ear. Apparently, this bit of movement distracted her from where she was stepping, causing her "Orihime-influenced klutz genes" to kick in.

Without realizing that her foot didn't yet make it to the top of the next step, she stepped forward and inevitably began to trip. She braced herself for the painful meeting between her un-bruised arms and the hard cold floor, but unexpectedly, it never came.

Someone, most likely a male, had caught her before she fell.

"Woah there!" The person, definitely a guy, helped her stand back up, patting her on the shoulder. "Be more careful next time, a handsome guy like me might not be here next time!"

Rukia quirked her brows before looking up at the person, "Oh, Kaien-san!" she said in surprise, not expecting it to be him.

"It's you again! We really need to stop meeting like this," Kaien laughed and patted her on the head. "Oh, and I partially heard your conversation with Inoue-san. I swear I wasn't eavesdropping!"

She lifted one of her brows, "Yeah, and?"

"I think I can help with this 'matchmaking' game of yours," he said, grinning.

She blinked, tilting her head to the side like Orihime always did when she was confused.

"What?!"

* * *

**A/N: **I've been really half-assed about updating or even working on my fanfics at all, sorry [that's why the chappie's short and the ending is weird]! I tried rereading through everything, but of course, I'm sure I left more than a few errors! My writing skills have gotten quite shitty... and it's also really late. Sorry! If there's anything awkward sounding, blame my time zone -and fanfiction editor since it's being a piece of shit!

**Please review! And Thank you to those who have favorited, alerted and reviewed**


	7. Chapter 7: Hear My Voice

**Sorry! Re-uploaded for the ones who didn't get an email... [I feel like this only happens to me, ugh]**

* * *

_Previously…_

_Rukia quirked her brows before looking up at the person, "Oh, Kaien-san!" she said in surprise, not expecting it to be him._

_"It's you again! We really need to stop meeting like this," Kaien laughed and patted her on the head. "Oh, and I partially heard your conversation with Inoue-san. I swear I wasn't eavesdropping!"_

_She lifted one of her brows, "Yeah, and?"_

_"I think I can help with this 'matchmaking' game of yours," he said, grinning._

_She blinked, tilting her head to the side like Orihime always did when she was confused._

_"What?!"_

* * *

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, etc, etc..._**

* * *

_**Chapter 7: Hear my Voice**_

"What do you mean, 'what?'" asked Kaien, lifting one of his dark brows. "I said that I'm going to help you and play along with your matchmaking game."

"I know what you said, but why?" asked Rukia, wondering why Kaien suddenly wanted to help. It was kind of strange as he didn't really talk to Orihime all that much, and this whole plan was specifically to get her and Ichigo together. Why would he want to help with no benefit? It seemed kind of fishy…

"No reason. I just wanted observe how this whole thing plays out; it's for my own amusement. Usually these matchmaking schemes don't usually succeed, and trust me, I've seen many fail in," despite answering her question, it seemed as though he was still hiding something, but Rukia dismissed it, thinking nothing of it. "Plus, I want to see proof that Kurosaki is interested in women. There's been a rumor around about him and Abarai, and I don't know them well enough to know if it's true, so I want to find out. Honestly though, I think they play for the right team."

Having heard the comment about the rumor, Rukia laughed to herself, mentally wiping a stray tear from her eyes. She once questioned this too, but after an experiment, she found out both Ichigo and Renji were very much straight.

_Flashback..._

_Rukia sat at her desk thinking about useless things as her teacher rambled on about the parts of speech in English._

_She remembered seeing Keigo with a playboy some time during their breaks. He would carefully whip it out as crowds of guys –and Chizuru- would gather around him. It was those times that Rukia realized that these were the only times Keigo was actually popular, which was kind of depressing as everyone got along well with each other no matter what._

_So while most of the male species in the classroom would be nose-bleeding over the sinful magazine, all of Ichigo's other friends would be at their desks, minding their own business._

_While that was good since they didn't succumb to embarrassing pictures of naked girls, it was also considered a bit suspicious. She knew just but thinking this, that she was starting to get nosy, but how could she not be the slightest? _

_Ichigo was _very _popular with the ladies, but he has yet to date or even notice one of the many cute girls that drooled over him, like her adorable auburn haired friend. Many guys envied him for his apparent good looks and popularity in the female community, instantly making him a target, which is how the "Kurosaki and Abarai" rumor got spread. Ironically, instead pushing the girls away, this attracted even more attention from them –and certain guys who leaned that way. Apparently, since girls seem to adore yaoi manga, the rumor appealed to their messed up minds!_

_Ever so curious, Rukia later forced both of her male friends onto the couch in Ichigo's living room while all the other Kurosaki's were absent. _

_"Is this necessary?" asked Ichigo, frowning at what a waste of time this was. "I have homework to do, and don't see how this ghost video is anything important."_

_Oh, right, she forgot to mention that it wasn't actually a ghost video…_

_"Yeah, I can't believe the 'mighty Kuchiki Rukia' is afraid of watching a friggin' video alone," said Renji, chuckling._

"_Shut it! I'm doing this for your benefit, you're lucky Chizuru sent this to me," said Rukia, clicking the video icon on her laptop desktop. She placed the laptop on the coffee table, in front of the two guys, and walked to the side, waiting for the video to load._

"_Okay? So there are three girls, where's the gho- what the fuck is this?!" yelled Ichigo in surprise, blushing bright red. "Why is she- how is that even possible?!"_

_While Ichigo was freaking out, Renji had widened his eyes to the size of baseballs, unaware of the blood running down his nose as he watched the extremely sinful video. His face was the same color as his hair, which was saying something._

_Judging from their reactions and how _they never looked away_, Rukia concluded that her two idiot friends were indeed, into girls._

_End of flashback…_

"Anyways, if you need any help, just ask me," offered Kaien smiling, he ruffled her hair and went to walk away when Rukia spoke up.

"Oh, and I'm transferring into your art class by the way. I thought I'd let you know," she said, waving before retreating back to her classroom.

* * *

As Rukia waited for everyone, she sat atop a tree branch of her favorite "school tree" and caught up on some of her manga. While reading, she suddenly got the idea to go do karaoke after school. Part of it was her strong longing to sing a cheesy anime romance song, and another part was to embarrass Ichigo and Orihime by making them sing together. It was the perfect plan, and everyone was happy. She smirked, chuckling evilly to herself at the idea.

"There you are! Come on, let's eat! I'm hungry," called Rangiku from underneath, along with Momo, Tatsuki, and Orihime.

Rukia smiled and jumped down from the tree elegantly, following her friends as they walked over to their usual tree.

"How do you jump down and not have your skirt fly up? I don't understand," said Momo, plopping down on the ground and opening her bento.

"It's wizardry," replied Rangiku, chuckling as Orihime handed her the bean paste sandwich she promised.

"Not quite," laughed Rukia, un-wrapping her own bento. "So… I've been thinking, how about we go do karaoke after school? We haven't done anything fun lately." She fawned at her Chappy-shaped rice, and picked up some fried egg, waiting for a reply from everyone.

Orihime placed a finger to her chin, "Well… I can probably ask my boss for a day off."

"Me too," replied Tatsuki, drinking her juice.

"Aww… I can't, Granny has to go for a doctor's appointment today," said Momo, disappointed.

Rangiku grinned and clapped her hands together, "I love karaoke! And are we inviting any guys?" As she got excited, she almost dropped her sandwich, literally giving her a mini heart attack.

Rukia shrugged, "I don't know, maybe just Ichigo and Renji," she said, instantly shoving rice into her mouth.

"Can I bring Shiro-chan, Hisagi, Ikkaku, and Yumichika?" asked the buxom woman enthusiastically. As an answer, Rukia shrugged a "yes" her way, making her grin mischievously.

_Later…_

"How come you always end up dragging us places?" questioned Renji, frowning as he sat in the karaoke room along with the other five guys, who were also unwilling to be there. He sighed and scratched his head, "This is going to be one hell of a bill to pay, and is there really a need for a million drinks?"

"I thought we were going to go spar, but what the hell am I doing here?" said Ikkaku, glaring at Rangiku as she stuck her tongue out.

"Stop complaining, I told you I'd pay for you guys. If I didn't, Rangiku would die of too little excitement," said Rukia rolling her eyes as she looked through the song list. "So who wants to go first?"

"I do! Shiro-chan and I do nice duets! His voice can go as high as yours Rukia," Rangiku got up and yanked Toshiro out of his seat, despite his fighting back.

"You make me sing, I'll kill you," threatened the short white haired teen. He glared at the busty blonde and crossed his arms.

"Please! Just one song!" She gave him a large bear hug, practically suffocating him in her breasts. "I'll low down on the teasing!"

"Yeah, come on Hitsugaya, you could do at least one, can't you?" teased Ikkaku and Hisagi as Yumichika smirked, looking at himself in his pocket mirror.

Toshiro's eye twitched violently before he finally exploded, "Fine! One song, and that's it!"

Rangiku grinned happily and went over to the music selection device-thing. "Any song as long as it's one?" Getting no reply, she took that as a yes, and flipped through the pages on the screen before smiling evilly.

At the table, Rukia finished the last of her strawberry flavored drink, and pouted, not having anything else to drink. She glanced over to Ichigo, who was to the left of her, and then to Orihime who was forcefully put to the other side of Ichigo. For the past few minutes, they had been engaged in a casual conversation about the homework they were assigned, but not stretching beyond that. And Ichigo, being a fairly boring person, brought his homework with him, which probably made Orihime feel like she was interrupting his studies.

Shaking her head, she sighed and stared at the chocolate milkshake that sat next to his notebook. She then glanced back at Ichigo, and then to drink, and back to Ichigo.

"Did you drink that yet?" she asked out of nowhere, pointing to the milkshake.

"Yeah, why?" Ichigo lifted his head, one of his brows reaching higher on his head than the other.

Licking her lips, "Can I have some?" She started reaching over to the cup before he smacked her hand away.

"Not 'some.' You're probably going to drink the whole thing like you always do," he rolled his eyes, and drank some of the milkshake through the straw.

Rukia frowned, "Please! I'll buy you another one!" she shook his arm, and used the typical "puppy eyes" trick.

"If you can get me another, why don't you just order one for yourself?"

"Ordering takes effort!"

While the two argued about the milkshake, Orihime giggled at their light-hearted argument. Her attention would stray from Toshiro and Rangiku, "singing" in front of the room, to Ichigo and Rukia. It was hard to concentrate on the two arguing when there was uneven, but oddly satisfying sounding singing in the background.

From a woman's deep voice to a monotone "I'm not even trying" voice to the high pitched sounding chorus in the background music. While the different voice levels weren't exactly harmonious, it did sound strangely nice. Maybe if Rangiku didn't pick a "magical-girl" anime genre song, it would have sounded better…

"Fine, you can have it," finally gave in Ichigo, annoyed. He was pretty sure once she downed his drink, she'll move to Tatsuki's and then complain about a bathroom break way later.

"Heh!" She grabbed the milkshake and was about to place the straw in her mouth when she noticed Orihime watched her from the other side of Ichigo. She smiled, thinking of an idea, "Hey, Hime, do you want to try some?"

She brought the cup over to the other girl and mentally nudged her to take a sip. It was a chance for an "indirect kiss."

The question made the auburn haired girl turn red, looking down at the straw; she couldn't help but think about how his lips drank from the straw. The more she thought about it, the redder she became, and when she noticed Ichigo looking at her, she stood up abruptly, rushing to the bathroom. "Uh- I need to go to the bathroom!"

Rukia raised a brow and chuckled, "Oh well, I tried," she said to herself, she then proceeded to finish Ichigo's drink and finally pay attention to Rangiku's and Toshiro's singing for its last minute.

After the song finished, everyone clapped while Renji whistled, teasing Toshiro, making him angrier. "See that wasn't so bad was it?" Rangiku put the short haired teen's back before downing one of the many drinks on the table. She turned back around to the TV and waited for her score. Everyone in the room watched anxiously as the scored slowly appeared on the screen, showing: 84.

"Aww, that's not too bad," she pouted. "So who's next?"

Everyone looked around at each other before Rangiku suddenly crawled on top of the table. "Who has a water bottle?" she asked, she looked around before Tatsuki threw her an empty water bottle. "Okay, since no one is volunteering, I'll have to do 'spin the bottle.' Whoever this lands on has to sing, but I get to pick the song."

She placed the bottle on the table and spun it. Everyone's eyes followed the bottle, mentally crossing their fingers that it wouldn't land on them. The bottle slowed and slowed, before finally stopping as Orihime entered the room from the bathroom.

"Aha! Rukia, it chooses you!" exclaimed Rangiku, grinning evilly. "Get up here!"

The petite girl groaned, getting up, "I hate singing, I suck at it." She grabbed the microphone, and crossed her arms, hoping to get it over fast.

"Okay, let's see… I choose this one!" said the strawberry-blonde, grinning suspiciously.

Rukia eyed her before turning to the screen, "Wait, it says it's a duet!" She turned back to the other girl, mentally questioning her.

"Oh! I didn't notice, I guess… um… Ichigo will have to do it!" She looked around the room before her eyes settling on Ichigo due to his bright hair.

The said teen widened his eyes, "Oh hell no! I am _not _singing!"

While he declined, Rangiku would have none of it. "Yes you are, now get up there and sing!" She grabbed his arm and forced him up, handing him the microphone.

Standing in front of everyone now, Ichigo looked at Rukia who shrugged, not feeling any better about this than he was. The music started to play, and right off the bat, they could tell it was probably a slow romantic song, making the orange haired teen dread it even more.

Rukia waited for her cue before opening her mouth and beginning to sing. Her singing voice was deep and strong, yet very soft and elegant at the same time. Everyone's mouths dropped open as they listened to her, not expecting what they heard. Her singing was powerful, yet very feminine. Even though her first line was short, everyone could definitely tell she certainly did not suck at singing like she said.

_For just one second_

Ichigo's eyes had widened slightly as he heard Rukia sing for the first _real _time[other than the times she sung the Chappy theme song]. Her voice gave him goosebumps, practically making him forget his part. Realizing it was his turn, he sang into the microphone, also surprising everyone that he wasn't tone death. While his voice wasn't as strong as Rukia's, it fit with hers almost perfectly, along with the song.

_If the sun is burning_

They sang each line together, their voices syncing. Neither Rukia's or Ichigo's voices overpowered the other; they were almost a perfect duo. However, it was strange… how they slowly melded into the song, everyone disappearing in the background. With only them left.

_it will melt the sky  
the morning will come  
from its sleep  
raising its voice  
it's sprouting  
the world  
When I have accepted it  
I realized that it has become a past  
The destination of this embracing sadness are  
wind  
sky  
star  
rain  
_

Finally, as the song neared its last several lines, Rukia turned toward Ichigo. She widened her eyes suddenly as she felt _something_ when they made eye contact. Quickly she turned away, her heart skipping a beat for a moment. Ichigo, on the other hand, blinked at Rukia's sudden turning away. Whenever they looked each other in the eye, she never did that; she never looked away.

_"I'm glad that I met you," this feeling just, just  
carries a heat that's like the sunset  
The night  
is still  
unlike the star  
After the rain  
it just  
just  
glows_

As the piano at the end slowly finished the song, Rukia looked away from everyone, her eyes wide. Her heart beating fast, she quickly ran out of the room and gently closed the door. She leaned on the wall outside, holding a hand to her beating heart.

She didn't understand, why was her heart beating so hard? What was that that she felt?

Why was Ichigo the one causing her to feel this way?

* * *

_**A/N: **_Was it _cheesy_? I certainly hope not too much! And this is the sprout of new discovered feelings! Not quite to where we want it, but baby steps work best right? And **EVERYONE** must know what this song it right?_**  
**_

And Fanfiction editor as usual is being a piece of crap, so please excuse the lyrics on the left instead of the center, and the mistakes it decided not o save. [I need to bang my head against the wall].

**_PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU GOT AN UPDATE EMAIL._**

**_Please Review!_ I haven't been hearing from many of you lately, and I'm wondering if everyone's okay, haha.**


	8. Chapter 8: Distractions

_**I don't own Bleach.**_

* * *

_Previously…_

_As the piano at the end slowly finished the song, Rukia looked away from everyone, her eyes wide. Her heart beating fast, she quickly ran out of the room and gently closed the door. She leaned on the wall outside, holding a hand to her beating heart._

_She didn't understand, why was her heart beating so hard? What was that that she felt?_

_Why was Ichigo the one causing her to feel this way?_

* * *

_**Chapter 8: Distractions**_

At first, Ichigo found the idea of having to sing rather distasteful, not adding that it was a slow love song; even an anime song sounded more appealing! Unfortunately, it was already too late, and he was forced to sing. He had expected Rukia's singing to be out of tune, but surprisingly, she was a natural. He knew his singing was mediocre, but it wasn't like he actually tried.

Nearing the end of the song, he impatiently tapped his finger against the microphone, waiting for the end of the song. To his annoyance, there was still more lines to come. He sang his last few lines and glanced towards Rukia, only to have her already looking at him. It was strange, for a second, there was a flicker of something in his chest, but the feeling was quickly forgotten when she diverted her gaze elsewhere. He blinked a few times, looking back to the TV. Normally when they made eye contact, she would stick her tongue out or smile. It wasn't abnormal for her to look away, but this time, it was different. It wasn't her normal looking away, it was similar to when she would get caught copying his homework, except there was something amiss about it.

Before he knew it, the song was reaching its end and Rukia was out of the room. Widening his eyes, he looked over to everyone else, and they all shrugged.

"Aww, why'd she run away?" pouted Rangiku, "I wanted to give her a hug!" she crossed her arms and stuck her bottom lip out.

Ichigo continued to look at the door as he placed the microphone down, curious as to where the short haired teen had disappeared to. He sat back down in his seat, scrunching his eyebrows together in concentration.

Of course, all of this didn't go unnoticed by Orihime who was very attentive of Ichigo while he was singing. She, at first, didn't care that Rukia was singing with him as the girl didn't have a choice. However, near the middle to the end of the song, she could tell they both were really getting into their parts. She was almost envious of Rukia for being able to sing along side him, they both sounded great together. She was nowhere near jealous though, it wasn't like they were singing together intentionally. It could've been anyone in their group of friends who could've sung with Rukia.

Orihime for the most part, enjoyed their singing, but she was caught off guard near the end when she noticed something strange about the way her dark haired friend acted. But her curiosity was replaced with worry once the song ended and Rukia left the room in a hurry.

* * *

After running out of the room, Rukia took cover in the bathroom where she repeatedly banged her head against the wall, "Why do I feel so bothered? Did I drink something with alcohol in it?" she suddenly stopped banging her head and thought about it for a moment. She did take "samples" from her friends' drinks, and knowing Rangiku, her "juice" was nowhere near the usual children's drink.

Nodding to herself, she stuck her finger in the air, "That makes sense, and maybe my senses were off, so when he looked at me, I was surprised as I was half brain dead from the alcohol and the adrenaline… yeah… that's what happened," she said, smiling smugly at her reflection in the mirror. She then slowly looked down at the sink, thinking, and feeling as though that might have been _part_ of it. _Whatever the cause… I want to forget it, _she thought.

Unconsciously, she turned on the sink and let the water run –hearing the water always helped her think.

"It could have been the drink, but I don't normally feel like _that_ due to the side effects of really… anything," she mumbled, her eyebrows scrunched up. She was suddenly interrupted when a group of girls came walking into the bathroom, two with light purple hair and a short one with blue hair.

Raising one of her eyebrows, she left the bathroom as the blue haired girl started talking about missing her anime.

"Okay, when I walk back in the room, I'll just act like nothing happened, because, nothing _did_ happen anyways. Heh," she nodded her head, taking a deep breath as she opened the door to the room. Inside was Renji singing some sort of hideous tune while everyone was arguing about who would get up and order more drinks.

"Kuchiki! Since you're already up, can you order two melon milk teas and an orange squash?" called Ikkaku casually, forgetting Renji was singing. She shrugged and walked past the red haired singer towards the phone where she ordered the drinks, and looking behind her, she noted that Ichigo, Orihime and Tatsuki needed refills, which she also asked for as well as a bubble tea for herself.

She again passed Renji casually, much like how everyone totally disregarded him and argued amongst themselves.

"Why'd you run out so fast, Rukia-chan?" asked Orihime, nibbling on a cookie as she looked away from Tatuki and Renji's glaring match.

"O-oh, uh, I had to go to the bathroom really bad, you know, from drinking all those drinks," she said, awkwardly scratching the back of her head.

"Told you shouldn't drink so much," said Ichigo, looking up from his English homework. Rukia stuck her tongue out and sat down, pretending like nothing happened.

Hisagi, who was looking through the music selection remote, pressed on a random button on the touch screen which made the speakers yell, "boo!" as Renji finished his song. He glared at the dark haired teen across the table.

"That was great! We should do this more often!" Rangiku stretched her arms out wide and spun around as everyone said their goodbyes and departed.

"Oi, Hime, I have to drop by the dojo, so I can't walk home with you. Will you be okay alone?" asked Tatsuki as she looked towards Orihime with worry evident in her eyes. "It's night time and there are tons of creepy guys outside… maybe I shouldn-"

"It's fine 'cause Ichigo will walk her home, right?" Rukia nudged the orange haired teen in the side, who shrugged.

"Yeah, I can walk her home," said Ichigo, looking at Orihime, "Is that okay?"

Orihime blushed slightly, "Thank you! But you don't have to…" she fidgeted with the bottom of her skirt.

Tatsuki thanked Ichigo and left, leaving Ichigo, Orihime, and Rukia to stand in front of the karaoke place. "You should have Ichigo walk you home, it's better that way. You wouldn't want to be attacked by kuchisake-onna would you?"

"No! Not kuchikisake-onna!" the auburn haired girl brought both of her hands up to her cheeks. "What about you? She could come after you!"

"Nah, spirits can't see me, but I can see them," Rukia laughed, "anyways, I need to go to the store, bye!" She quickly sped away, chuckling to herself evilly. When she was sure they were out of sight, she slowed down to a walking pace and stretched her arms out. Looking up at the night sky, she thought of the junk food items she needed to get. "I need cheddar bunnies, green tea ice cream, strawberry yogurt, and pretzel pocky."

She shivered as the icy brittle wind blew, making her hair fly all over her face. She tugged her jacket closer to her as the wind blew harder, and attempted to brush her hair out of the way. Before she knew it, she walked right into someone's back, causing them to fall forward a bit. "Oi, watch where- Rukia? I didn't expect to see you here. Are you stalking me?" asked Kaien good-naturedly as he turned around. "So where are you going?"

"To the store, I just finished singing karaoke with my friend and I just remembered I'm running out of snacks, and what about you?" Frustrated, Rukia grabbed a bobby pin from inside her school bag and pinned some of her hair back.

"Same here, my older sister wants me to get something for her," he said, sighing. "And out of curiosity, where's Kurosaki? Don't you live with his family? I'm sure he wouldn't let you walk alone at night."

She chuckled, wrapping her scarf tighter around her neck, "He's walking Orihime home. She's more defenseless than me so anyone would understand that she needs more protection than I do, not saying she can't defend for herself. But if you know what I mean… like rapists and white vans."

Kaien laughed, "You have a point there. The guy could probably tell her he's bringing her to one of those western fairy tale lands and she would believe him." In front of the store, he allowed her to enter before him. He watched as she stocked up on junk food, chuckling to himself at her devastated face when there was no more green tea ice cream left in the freezer. "I'm sure they'll have more tomorrow."

"But I wanted it now…," she said, sad. She glanced at his hand, "Is that all you're getting?"

He lifted his eyebrows and brought up the magazines in his hand, "Yeah, pretty much. My sis is out of college so she gets bored after work. She also wanted me to get her cigarettes, but I'm only eighteen."

"What? You're not allowed to buy cigarettes? In France, a bunch of my classmates who were eighteen were allowed to buy them," she placed her items on the register counter, greeting the cashier, who started to scan them.

"Not in Japan. You have to be twenty years or older."

"Oh, that's only two years apart."

Once they both paid, Kaien slipped the small bag of magazines snug into his inner coat pocket, "I'll walk you home. It's too dark for you to walk alone."

Rukia rolled her eyes, "I'll be fine, and I'm perfectly capable of walking home alone. Thanks anyways," she said, walking away, not before he laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Nonsense, I'm walking you home, and that's that." He grabbed her bags out of her hands and carried them as they started walking.

"You don't need to carry my bags, I'm not a princess. You're strangely being so gentlemanly," she looked up at him with questioning eyes, but he kept looking ahead. "And my house is only ten minutes away, I think I'll survive."

He smiled, but didn't answer her.

* * *

After about ten minutes of walking in silence, Orihime popped up a question in an attempt to start a conversation. "So… did you manage to finish your homework?" she asked, playing with her scarf.

Ichigo glanced down at her, "Yeah, I did. It was pretty easy, but with all the distractions, it took awhile. I bet Rukia will ask to copy it later like she always does. I usually say no, but I know she secretly steals my notebook when I'm not in the room," he said, unknowingly lifting the corners of his mouth ever so slightly.

Orihime giggled, "That's our Rukia-chan! She's actually really smart when she puts her mind to it. Tatsuki says she's like me, except the other way around," she said, laughing. "She looks and acts smart, but is actually really lazy when it comes to school. As for me, I'm ditzy, but I came in third in the class!" She scratched the back of her head, and laughed.

He chuckled, "Sounds about right. According to Rukia, my notes are the clearest, which probably means she's already copied from everyone else's notes." He stuck his hands in his pockets, and hid his face further into his scarf.

She nodded her head and smiled happily. The atmosphere was comfortable… it made her happy, to be able to talk to him normally. "It's really cold for an autumn day isn't it?" she rubbed her hands together and snuggled her face into her scarf. "Actually now that I think about it, don't the swimming activities start tomorrow? I'm so excited! The indoor pool hasn't been used since our second year!" she said, excitedly. She clasped her hands together, and imagined everyone having fun splashing water on eachother.

"Is it? I forgot, I need to find my bathing suit," he scratched the back of his head. Noticing they were reaching Orihime's apartment, he took his hands out of his pockets, "I gotta go now. My old man's going to throw a tantrum if I'm any later."

"Oh, right. Thank you for walking me home, Kurosaki-kun! Bye bye!" she waved her hand in the air, watching his departing form, smiling warmly.

Ichigo nodded in return and waved behind him as he walked away, unaware of the auburn haired girl watching him.

Nearing the Kurosaki clinic, Ichigo could make out the form of Kaien and Rukia standing outside. He could see Kaien handing her some bags -probably what she bought from the store- and waving before he left. He didn't notice Ichigo as he was walking in the opposite direction.

The orange haired teen raised one of his brows, and smirked. By the time he arrived, Rukia was already making her usual snack before dinner. He had originally expected his dad to come in and kick him, but apparently there was a patient he was helping, so he wasn't there to be annoying.

"'Ka-san said we're not having dinner till Goat face is done," said Karin, tightening her ponytail, post setting the table.

"Okay, thanks," he then proceed to his room with Rukia following behind.

"So? How was your walk with Orihime?" she said after swallowing some of her sandwich.

He shrugged, "I don't know? Were you trying to play a prank or something?" he entered his room and placed his school bag on his desk. "Oh, and find your bathing suit. The pool opens tomorrow, and we _have to_ swim."

Rukia perked up her ears, suddenly getting nervous. "We _have _to swim?"

"Yeah, why?" he lifted one of his orange brows, glancing back at her as he casually took off his shirt and replaced it with a more comfortable t-shirt.

"No reason…," she said, nibbling on her chocolate sandwich. It was literally a chocolate bar squeezed between a baguette. Ichigo had seen her eat it plenty of times, but never questioned it, despite the weird looks he sent her way.

She walked out of his room and entered her own, focused on finding her bathing suit.

"Does this work?" Rukia held up one of her two piece bathing suits, tilting her head to the side.

"That's a bit too 'showy' for school. Where's your school bathing suit?" asked Ichigo, chilling on her room floor. He sat cross legged, playing with the random things in her room. It was filled with cute plushies, mostly of rabbits.

She held up a red one piece bathing suit, "This? It's so… ugly."

"It's not like you're supposed to look good when you're at school anyway," he rolled his eyes, poking the large Chappy plushy that sat dormant against the wall in its eye.

"Ugh… this sucks. Oi! Don't poke Chappy like that you bozo!" she yelled, throwing one of her dango pillows at him.

* * *

_Preview…_

"_You can't swim?" asked Tatsuki, surprised, watching as Rukia shook her head and clung to the ladder for dear life._

"_Yeah, and it sucks that you're too short to touch the bottom. This is only for people taller than five feet," teased Ichigo._

_She glared at him, "If you weren't so far away, I'd drown you right now."_

"_How? You'd drown by the time you got to me," he chuckled when he noticed a vein pop on her forehead. He smirked when her eye twitched, "Even Toshiro can swim and he's shorter than you," he said, ignoring the glare the said teen sent his way._

"_Well, if she can't swim, why don't you teach her? You're one of the best swimmers in our class," said Tatsuki, everyone else nodding their heads._

"_But I want to teach, Rukia-chan! I'll get to touc-" Keigo's sentence was interrupted when Tatsuki _and _Ichigo smacked his head._

* * *

**_A/N: _**Happy holidays everyone!

**Review pretty please! I'm almost to a hundred! [Wow, it's been so long since I first published this]  
**


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